Former "Road Rules" star Danny Dias died of complications from chronic substance abuse, and the lacerations found on his forearm had nothing to do with his death ... TMZ has learned.
The Chief Medical Examiner in NYC tells us Danny did not have any lethal injuries, and it's been determined he died of natural causes ... brought on by years of substance abuse. The M.E. adds there was no evidence of any acute level of drugs in his system.
Translation: he didn't OD, but he'd been in bad shape for years.
As we first reported ... cops said Danny had 2 lacerations on his forearm the day his body was found in his apartment. The M.E. says the cuts were fresh, but ultimately did NOT cause his death, as police first suspected.
Danny was 34.