Authorities investigating the death of John Elway's longtime friend and agent Jeff Sperbeck have not found any criminal activity involved in the accident, the Riverside County (Calif.) sheriff's department said Friday.
Sperbeck died on Wednesday after sustaining a traumatic head injury from falling out of a golf cart that Elway was driving at The Madison Club in La Quinta, Calif., during the Stagecoach music festival. He was taken to a local hospital and put on life support and ultimately died from his injuries.
Riverside County sheriff Chad Bianco told reporters on Friday that all indications are the incident was a "horrific accident."
“This appears to be a horrific accident,” Chad Bianco said Friday, via The Denver Post. “And unfortunately for all of those involved, one of the people—well, a couple of them—happen to be very high-profile celebrities. And that makes this more of an issue than it probably should be."
The investigation isn't officially over. Bianco said the department will be looking into surveillance footage and witness testimony. He also shared that medical personnel did not call the police department from the scene to note any criminal activity. The sheriff's department only became involved after "massive media inquiry" following the reporting about Elway's involvement.
“We’re doing everything we can to make sure that this is what it appears to be, and just an accident," he said.
Elway's lawyer Harvey Steinberg released a statement shortly after the sheriff's department, expressing sorrow for the accident.
“This has been a terrible time for everyone involved and our hearts continue to go out to the Sperbeck family," Steinberg said, via ESPN's Adam Schefter. "As John grieves this unimaginable loss, we appreciate the efforts of the Riverside County Sheriff’s department. The investigation has confirmed what we already knew: this was a tragic accident and sometimes things happen in life that we will never comprehend.”
Elway himself shared a statement on Wednesday after Sperbeck died from his injury. He expressed how "devastated and heartbroken" he was to lose such a close friend.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Sheriff Says Death of John Elway's Friend Jeff Sperbeck 'Appears to Be Horrific Accident' .
