diff --git a/include/lighttpd/virtualrequest.h b/include/lighttpd/virtualrequest.h
index d34b4ed..23889cc 100644
--- a/include/lighttpd/virtualrequest.h
+++ b/include/lighttpd/virtualrequest.h
@@ -97,6 +97,7 @@ LI_API vrequest* vrequest_new(struct connection *con, vrequest_handler handle_re
 LI_API void vrequest_free(vrequest *vr);
 LI_API void vrequest_reset(vrequest *vr);
 
+/* Signals an internal error; handles the error in the _next_ loop */
 LI_API void vrequest_error(vrequest *vr);
 
 LI_API void vrequest_backend_overloaded(vrequest *vr);
diff --git a/src/connection.c b/src/connection.c
index 445310a..aec6ea3 100644
--- a/src/connection.c
+++ b/src/connection.c
@@ -99,15 +99,21 @@ void connection_internal_error(connection *con) {
 		VR_ERROR(vr, "%s", "Couldn't send '500 Internal Error': headers already sent");
 		connection_error(con);
 	} else {
-		http_headers_reset(con->mainvr->response.headers);
+		http_version_t v;
 		VR_ERROR(vr, "%s", "internal error");
+
+		/* We only need the http version from the http request */
+		v = con->mainvr->request.http_version;
+		vrequest_reset(con->mainvr);
+		con->mainvr->request.http_version = v;
+
+		con->keep_alive = FALSE;
 		con->mainvr->response.http_status = 500;
-		con->state = CON_STATE_WRITE;
-		con->mainvr->state = VRS_WRITE_CONTENT;
-		chunkqueue_reset(con->mainvr->out);
+		con->state = CON_STATE_WRITE; /* skips further vrequest handling */
+
 		chunkqueue_reset(con->out);
-		con->mainvr->out->is_closed = TRUE;
 		con->out->is_closed = TRUE;
+		con->in->is_closed = TRUE;
 		forward_response_body(con);
 	}
 }
@@ -222,7 +228,7 @@ static void connection_cb(struct ev_loop *loop, ev_io *w, int revents) {
 			case NETWORK_STATUS_FATAL_ERROR:
 				_ERROR(con->srv, con->mainvr, "%s", "network write fatal error");
 				connection_error(con);
-				break;
+				return;
 			case NETWORK_STATUS_CONNECTION_CLOSE:
 				connection_close(con);
 				return;
@@ -358,6 +364,7 @@ void connection_reset(connection *con) {
 	ev_io_set(&con->sock_watcher, -1, 0);
 
 	vrequest_reset(con->mainvr);
+	http_request_parser_reset(&con->req_parser_ctx);
 
 	g_string_truncate(con->remote_addr_str, 0);
 	g_string_truncate(con->local_addr_str, 0);
@@ -366,8 +373,6 @@ void connection_reset(connection *con) {
 	chunkqueue_reset(con->raw_in);
 	chunkqueue_reset(con->raw_out);
 
-	http_request_parser_reset(&con->req_parser_ctx);
-
 	if (con->keep_alive_data.link) {
 		g_queue_delete_link(&con->wrk->keep_alive_queue, con->keep_alive_data.link);
 		con->keep_alive_data.link = NULL;
diff --git a/src/modules/mod_fastcgi.c b/src/modules/mod_fastcgi.c
index 9a5b74a..9ce7efd 100644
--- a/src/modules/mod_fastcgi.c
+++ b/src/modules/mod_fastcgi.c
@@ -392,14 +392,14 @@ static gboolean fastcgi_get_packet(fastcgi_connection *fcon) {
 	return TRUE;
 }
 
-static void fastcgi_parse_response(fastcgi_connection *fcon) {
+static gboolean fastcgi_parse_response(fastcgi_connection *fcon) {
 	while (fastcgi_get_packet(fcon)) {
 		if (fcon->fcgi_in_record.version != FCGI_VERSION_1) {
 			VR_ERROR(fcon->vr, "Unknown fastcgi protocol version %i", (gint) fcon->fcgi_in_record.version);
 			close(fcon->fd);
 			fcon->fd = -1;
 			vrequest_error(fcon->vr);
-			return;
+			return FALSE;
 		}
 		chunkqueue_skip(fcon->fcgi_in, FCGI_HEADER_LEN);
 		switch (fcon->fcgi_in_record.type) {
@@ -421,6 +421,7 @@ static void fastcgi_parse_response(fastcgi_connection *fcon) {
 		}
 		chunkqueue_skip(fcon->fcgi_in, fcon->fcgi_in_record.paddingLength);
 	}
+	return TRUE;
 }
 
 /**********************************************************************************/
@@ -500,7 +501,7 @@ static void fastcgi_fd_cb(struct ev_loop *loop, ev_io *w, int revents) {
 		}
 	}
 
-	fastcgi_parse_response(fcon);
+	if (!fastcgi_parse_response(fcon)) return;
 
 	/* TODO: parse stdout response */
 	if (fcon->vr->out->bytes_in == 0 && fcon->stdout->length > 0) {
diff --git a/src/virtualrequest.c b/src/virtualrequest.c
index f10954a..0d16cbc 100644
--- a/src/virtualrequest.c
+++ b/src/virtualrequest.c
@@ -222,9 +222,9 @@ static gboolean vrequest_do_handle_actions(vrequest *vr) {
 	return TRUE;
 }
 
+
 static gboolean vrequest_do_handle_read(vrequest *vr) {
 	handler_t res;
-	if (vr->in->is_closed && vr->in->bytes_in == vr->in->bytes_out) return TRUE;
 	if (vr->backend && vr->backend->handle_request_body) {
 		chunkqueue_steal_all(vr->in, vr->vr_in); /* TODO: filters */
 		if (vr->vr_in->is_closed) vr->in->is_closed = TRUE;
@@ -309,6 +309,7 @@ void vrequest_state_machine(vrequest *vr) {
 
 		case VRS_READ_CONTENT:
 			done = !vrequest_do_handle_read(vr);
+			done = done || (vr->state == VRS_READ_CONTENT);
 			break;
 
 		case VRS_HANDLE_RESPONSE_HEADERS:
@@ -339,6 +340,7 @@ void vrequest_state_machine(vrequest *vr) {
 			break;
 
 		case VRS_ERROR:
+			/* this will probably reset the vrequest, so stop handling after it */
 			vr->handle_response_error(vr);
 			return;
 		}