diff --git a/CHANGELOG.md b/CHANGELOG.md
index 5c6d515..b42eec5 100644
--- a/CHANGELOG.md
+++ b/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -2,6 +2,11 @@
 All notable changes to this project will be documented in this file.
 This project adheres to [Package Versioning Policy](https://wiki.haskell.org/Package_versioning_policy).
 
+## [Unreleased] - unreleased
+
+### Fixed
+- Write functions hang when the connection is lost.
+
 ## [2.1.1] - 2016-08-13
 
 ### Changed
diff --git a/Database/MongoDB/Internal/Protocol.hs b/Database/MongoDB/Internal/Protocol.hs
index 324513d..384c82e 100644
--- a/Database/MongoDB/Internal/Protocol.hs
+++ b/Database/MongoDB/Internal/Protocol.hs
@@ -42,12 +42,13 @@ import Data.Bits (bit, testBit)
 import Data.Int (Int32, Int64)
 import Data.IORef (IORef, newIORef, atomicModifyIORef)
 import System.IO (Handle)
+import System.IO.Error (doesNotExistErrorType, mkIOError)
 import System.IO.Unsafe (unsafePerformIO)
 import Data.Maybe (maybeToList)
 import GHC.Conc (ThreadStatus(..), threadStatus)
 import Control.Monad (forever)
-import Control.Concurrent.Chan (Chan, newChan, readChan, writeChan)
-import Control.Concurrent (ThreadId, forkIO, killThread)
+import Control.Concurrent.Chan (Chan, newChan, readChan, writeChan, isEmptyChan)
+import Control.Concurrent (ThreadId, killThread, forkFinally)
 
 import Control.Exception.Lifted (onException, throwIO, try)
 
@@ -66,11 +67,11 @@ import qualified Data.Text.Encoding as TE
 import Database.MongoDB.Internal.Util (bitOr, byteStringHex)
 
 import Database.MongoDB.Transport (Transport)
-import qualified Database.MongoDB.Transport as T
+import qualified Database.MongoDB.Transport as Tr
 
 #if MIN_VERSION_base(4,6,0)
 import Control.Concurrent.MVar.Lifted (MVar, newEmptyMVar, newMVar, withMVar,
-                                       putMVar, readMVar, mkWeakMVar)
+                                       putMVar, readMVar, mkWeakMVar, isEmptyMVar)
 #else
 import Control.Concurrent.MVar.Lifted (MVar, newEmptyMVar, newMVar, withMVar,
                                          putMVar, readMVar, addMVarFinalizer)
@@ -88,6 +89,7 @@ data Pipeline = Pipeline
     { vStream :: MVar Transport -- ^ Mutex on handle, so only one thread at a time can write to it
     , responseQueue :: Chan (MVar (Either IOError Response)) -- ^ Queue of threads waiting for responses. Every time a response arrive we pop the next thread and give it the response.
     , listenThread :: ThreadId
+    , finished :: MVar ()
     , serverData :: ServerData
     }
 
@@ -105,19 +107,41 @@ newPipeline :: ServerData -> Transport -> IO Pipeline
 newPipeline serverData stream = do
     vStream <- newMVar stream
     responseQueue <- newChan
+    finished <- newEmptyMVar
+    let drainReplies = do
+          chanEmpty <- isEmptyChan responseQueue
+          if chanEmpty
+            then return ()
+            else do
+              var <- readChan responseQueue
+              putMVar var $ Left $ mkIOError
+                                        doesNotExistErrorType
+                                        "Handle has been closed"
+                                        Nothing
+                                        Nothing
+              drainReplies
+
     rec
         let pipe = Pipeline{..}
-        listenThread <- forkIO (listen pipe)
+        listenThread <- forkFinally (listen pipe) $ \_ -> do
+                                                       putMVar finished ()
+                                                       drainReplies
+
     _ <- mkWeakMVar vStream $ do
         killThread listenThread
-        T.close stream
+        Tr.close stream
     return pipe
 
+isFinished :: Pipeline -> IO Bool
+isFinished Pipeline {finished} = do
+  empty <- isEmptyMVar finished
+  return $ not empty
+
 close :: Pipeline -> IO ()
 -- ^ Close pipe and underlying connection
 close Pipeline{..} = do
     killThread listenThread
-    T.close =<< readMVar vStream
+    Tr.close =<< readMVar vStream
 
 isClosed :: Pipeline -> IO Bool
 isClosed Pipeline{listenThread} = do
@@ -138,7 +162,7 @@ listen Pipeline{..} = do
         var <- readChan responseQueue
         putMVar var e
         case e of
-            Left err -> T.close stream >> ioError err  -- close and stop looping
+            Left err -> Tr.close stream >> ioError err  -- close and stop looping
             Right _ -> return ()
 
 psend :: Pipeline -> Message -> IO ()
@@ -149,7 +173,12 @@ psend p@Pipeline{..} !message = withMVar vStream (flip writeMessage message) `on
 pcall :: Pipeline -> Message -> IO (IO Response)
 -- ^ Send message to destination and return /promise/ of response from one message only. The destination must reply to the message (otherwise promises will have the wrong responses in them).
 -- Throw IOError and closes pipeline if send fails, likewise for promised response.
-pcall p@Pipeline{..} message = withMVar vStream doCall `onException` close p  where
+pcall p@Pipeline{..} message = do
+  listenerStopped <- isFinished p
+  if listenerStopped
+    then ioError $ mkIOError doesNotExistErrorType "Handle has been closed" Nothing Nothing
+    else withMVar vStream doCall `onException` close p
+  where
     doCall stream = do
         writeMessage stream message
         var <- newEmptyMVar
@@ -163,7 +192,7 @@ type Pipe = Pipeline
 
 newPipe :: ServerData -> Handle -> IO Pipe
 -- ^ Create pipe over handle
-newPipe sd handle = T.fromHandle handle >>= (newPipeWith sd)
+newPipe sd handle = Tr.fromHandle handle >>= (newPipeWith sd)
 
 newPipeWith :: ServerData -> Transport -> IO Pipe
 -- ^ Create pipe over connection
@@ -202,8 +231,8 @@ writeMessage conn (notices, mRequest) = do
           let s = runPut $ putRequest request requestId
           return $ (lenBytes s) `L.append` s
 
-    T.write conn $ L.toStrict $ L.concat $ noticeStrings ++ (maybeToList requestString)
-    T.flush conn
+    Tr.write conn $ L.toStrict $ L.concat $ noticeStrings ++ (maybeToList requestString)
+    Tr.flush conn
  where
     lenBytes bytes = encodeSize . toEnum . fromEnum $ L.length bytes
     encodeSize = runPut . putInt32 . (+ 4)
@@ -215,8 +244,8 @@ readMessage :: Transport -> IO Response
 -- ^ read response from a connection
 readMessage conn = readResp  where
     readResp = do
-        len <- fromEnum . decodeSize . L.fromStrict <$> T.read conn 4
-        runGet getReply . L.fromStrict <$> T.read conn len
+        len <- fromEnum . decodeSize . L.fromStrict <$> Tr.read conn 4
+        runGet getReply . L.fromStrict <$> Tr.read conn len
     decodeSize = subtract 4 . runGet getInt32
 
 type FullCollection = Text