diff --git a/src/client/request.rs b/src/client/request.rs
index 3f84dda41b..2811f0dd7c 100644
--- a/src/client/request.rs
+++ b/src/client/request.rs
@@ -101,11 +101,17 @@ impl Request<Fresh> {
     /// Consume a Fresh Request, writing the headers and method,
     /// returning a Streaming Request.
     pub fn start(mut self) -> ::Result<Request<Streaming>> {
-        let head = try!(self.message.set_outgoing(RequestHead {
+        let head = match self.message.set_outgoing(RequestHead {
             headers: self.headers,
             method: self.method,
             url: self.url,
-        }));
+        }) {
+            Ok(head) => head,
+            Err(e) => {
+                let _ = self.message.close_connection();
+                return Err(From::from(e));
+            }
+        };
 
         Ok(Request {
             method: head.method,
@@ -134,17 +140,30 @@ impl Request<Streaming> {
 impl Write for Request<Streaming> {
     #[inline]
     fn write(&mut self, msg: &[u8]) -> io::Result<usize> {
-        self.message.write(msg)
+        match self.message.write(msg) {
+            Ok(n) => Ok(n),
+            Err(e) => {
+                let _ = self.message.close_connection();
+                Err(e)
+            }
+        }
     }
 
     #[inline]
     fn flush(&mut self) -> io::Result<()> {
-        self.message.flush()
+        match self.message.flush() {
+            Ok(r) => Ok(r),
+            Err(e) => {
+                let _ = self.message.close_connection();
+                Err(e)
+            }
+        }
     }
 }
 
 #[cfg(test)]
 mod tests {
+    use std::io::Write;
     use std::str::from_utf8;
     use url::Url;
     use method::Method::{Get, Head, Post};
@@ -237,4 +256,24 @@ mod tests {
         assert!(!s.contains("Content-Length:"));
         assert!(s.contains("Transfer-Encoding:"));
     }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn test_write_error_closes() {
+        let url = Url::parse("http://hyper.rs").unwrap();
+        let req = Request::with_connector(
+            Get, url, &mut MockConnector
+        ).unwrap();
+        let mut req = req.start().unwrap();
+
+        req.message.downcast_mut::<Http11Message>().unwrap()
+            .get_mut().downcast_mut::<MockStream>().unwrap()
+            .error_on_write = true;
+
+        req.write(b"foo").unwrap();
+        assert!(req.flush().is_err());
+
+        assert!(req.message.downcast_ref::<Http11Message>().unwrap()
+            .get_ref().downcast_ref::<MockStream>().unwrap()
+            .is_closed);
+    }
 }
diff --git a/src/client/response.rs b/src/client/response.rs
index 46882d42b0..961a84b790 100644
--- a/src/client/response.rs
+++ b/src/client/response.rs
@@ -37,7 +37,13 @@ impl Response {
     /// Creates a new response received from the server on the given `HttpMessage`.
     pub fn with_message(url: Url, mut message: Box<HttpMessage>) -> ::Result<Response> {
         trace!("Response::with_message");
-        let ResponseHead { headers, raw_status, version } = try!(message.get_incoming());
+        let ResponseHead { headers, raw_status, version } = match message.get_incoming() {
+            Ok(head) => head,
+            Err(e) => {
+                let _ = message.close_connection();
+                return Err(From::from(e));
+            }
+        };
         let status = status::StatusCode::from_u16(raw_status.0);
         debug!("version={:?}, status={:?}", version, status);
         debug!("headers={:?}", headers);
@@ -54,6 +60,7 @@ impl Response {
     }
 
     /// Get the raw status code and reason.
+    #[inline]
     pub fn status_raw(&self) -> &RawStatus {
         &self.status_raw
     }
@@ -68,6 +75,10 @@ impl Read for Response {
                 self.is_drained = true;
                 Ok(0)
             },
+            Err(e) => {
+                let _ = self.message.close_connection();
+                Err(e)
+            }
             r => r
         }
     }
diff --git a/src/mock.rs b/src/mock.rs
index 25ae9e8c7c..25f2ca0340 100644
--- a/src/mock.rs
+++ b/src/mock.rs
@@ -2,7 +2,7 @@ use std::fmt;
 use std::ascii::AsciiExt;
 use std::io::{self, Read, Write, Cursor};
 use std::cell::RefCell;
-use std::net::SocketAddr;
+use std::net::{SocketAddr, Shutdown};
 use std::sync::{Arc, Mutex};
 #[cfg(feature = "timeouts")]
 use std::time::Duration;
@@ -21,10 +21,13 @@ use net::{NetworkStream, NetworkConnector};
 pub struct MockStream {
     pub read: Cursor<Vec<u8>>,
     pub write: Vec<u8>,
+    pub is_closed: bool,
+    pub error_on_write: bool,
+    pub error_on_read: bool,
     #[cfg(feature = "timeouts")]
     pub read_timeout: Cell<Option<Duration>>,
     #[cfg(feature = "timeouts")]
-    pub write_timeout: Cell<Option<Duration>>
+    pub write_timeout: Cell<Option<Duration>>,
 }
 
 impl fmt::Debug for MockStream {
@@ -48,7 +51,10 @@ impl MockStream {
     pub fn with_input(input: &[u8]) -> MockStream {
         MockStream {
             read: Cursor::new(input.to_vec()),
-            write: vec![]
+            write: vec![],
+            is_closed: false,
+            error_on_write: false,
+            error_on_read: false,
         }
     }
 
@@ -57,6 +63,9 @@ impl MockStream {
         MockStream {
             read: Cursor::new(input.to_vec()),
             write: vec![],
+            is_closed: false,
+            error_on_write: false,
+            error_on_read: false,
             read_timeout: Cell::new(None),
             write_timeout: Cell::new(None),
         }
@@ -65,13 +74,21 @@ impl MockStream {
 
 impl Read for MockStream {
     fn read(&mut self, buf: &mut [u8]) -> io::Result<usize> {
-        self.read.read(buf)
+        if self.error_on_read {
+            Err(io::Error::new(io::ErrorKind::Other, "mock error"))
+        } else {
+            self.read.read(buf)
+        }
     }
 }
 
 impl Write for MockStream {
     fn write(&mut self, msg: &[u8]) -> io::Result<usize> {
-        Write::write(&mut self.write, msg)
+        if self.error_on_write {
+            Err(io::Error::new(io::ErrorKind::Other, "mock error"))
+        } else {
+            Write::write(&mut self.write, msg)
+        }
     }
 
     fn flush(&mut self) -> io::Result<()> {
@@ -95,6 +112,11 @@ impl NetworkStream for MockStream {
         self.write_timeout.set(dur);
         Ok(())
     }
+
+    fn close(&mut self, _how: Shutdown) -> io::Result<()> {
+        self.is_closed = true;
+        Ok(())
+    }
 }
 
 /// A wrapper around a `MockStream` that allows one to clone it and keep an independent copy to the
@@ -144,6 +166,10 @@ impl NetworkStream for CloneableMockStream {
     fn set_write_timeout(&self, dur: Option<Duration>) -> io::Result<()> {
         self.inner.lock().unwrap().set_write_timeout(dur)
     }
+
+    fn close(&mut self, how: Shutdown) -> io::Result<()> {
+        NetworkStream::close(&mut *self.inner.lock().unwrap(), how)
+    }
 }
 
 impl CloneableMockStream {