Flandreau, S.D. ? Rep. Bill Janklow appears to have had symptoms consistent with a diabetic reaction before his deadly collision with a motorcyclist, an expert testified Friday during the congressman’s manslaughter trial.

Dr. Fred Lovrien said he was initially skeptical about a medical defense, but after examining Janklow, reviewing his medical records and discussing his activities in the hours before the crash, he concluded it was possible Janklow had been suffering from low blood sugar, or hypoglycemia.

Janklow may not have felt the early symptoms because it was hot when he spoke at an event that morning and because he had an angry exchange with a heckler, said Lovrien, a defense witness who examined Janklow two months after the crash.

Janklow also said he was taking the medication Atenolol, which could hide symptoms of a diabetic reaction, Lovrien said. Atenolol is in a class of drugs called beta-blockers, which affect the heart and circulatory system.

But on cross-examination, deputy prosecutor Roger Ellyson noted that Atenolol was not on the list of medications Janklow said he was taking the day after the Aug. 16 accident and again on Sept. 4.

The defense hopes to prove that Janklow’s diabetes was at fault when he sped through a stop sign, putting his Cadillac into the path of motorcyclist Randy Scott, who died after hitting the car. Prosecutors argue that Janklow made a conscious decision to speed and ignore the stop sign.