diff --git a/src/db.rs b/src/db.rs
index 55179393..5452dd6d 100644
--- a/src/db.rs
+++ b/src/db.rs
@@ -777,6 +777,8 @@ impl Database {
     /// write may be in progress at a time. If a write is in progress, this function will block
     /// until it completes.
     pub fn begin_write(&self) -> Result<WriteTransaction, TransactionError> {
+        // Fail early if there has been an I/O error -- nothing can be committed in that case
+        self.mem.check_io_errors()?;
         let guard = TransactionGuard::new_write(
             self.transaction_tracker.start_write_transaction(),
             self.transaction_tracker.clone(),
@@ -987,7 +989,7 @@ mod test {
     use crate::backends::FileBackend;
     use crate::{
         CommitError, Database, DatabaseError, Durability, ReadableTable, StorageBackend,
-        StorageError, TableDefinition,
+        StorageError, TableDefinition, TransactionError,
     };
     use std::io::{ErrorKind, Read, Seek, SeekFrom};
     use std::sync::atomic::{AtomicU64, Ordering};
@@ -1132,10 +1134,10 @@ mod test {
         countdown.store(0, Ordering::SeqCst);
         let result = tx.commit().err().unwrap();
         assert!(matches!(result, CommitError::Storage(StorageError::Io(_))));
-        let result = db.begin_write().unwrap().commit().err().unwrap();
+        let result = db.begin_write().err().unwrap();
         assert!(matches!(
             result,
-            CommitError::Storage(StorageError::PreviousIo)
+            TransactionError::Storage(StorageError::PreviousIo)
         ));
         // Simulate a transient error
         countdown.store(u64::MAX, Ordering::SeqCst);
diff --git a/src/tree_store/page_store/cached_file.rs b/src/tree_store/page_store/cached_file.rs
index 62712301..5e1f6aa5 100644
--- a/src/tree_store/page_store/cached_file.rs
+++ b/src/tree_store/page_store/cached_file.rs
@@ -323,6 +323,10 @@ impl PagedCachedFile {
         })
     }
 
+    pub(crate) fn check_io_errors(&self) -> Result {
+        self.file.check_failure()
+    }
+
     pub(crate) fn raw_file_len(&self) -> Result<u64> {
         self.file.len()
     }
diff --git a/src/tree_store/page_store/page_manager.rs b/src/tree_store/page_store/page_manager.rs
index 190bf952..88c4475a 100644
--- a/src/tree_store/page_store/page_manager.rs
+++ b/src/tree_store/page_store/page_manager.rs
@@ -82,6 +82,7 @@ pub(crate) struct TransactionalMemory {
     // TODO: maybe this should be moved to WriteTransaction?
     allocated_since_commit: Mutex<HashSet<PageNumber>>,
     // True if the allocator state was corrupted when the file was opened
+    // TODO: maybe we can remove this flag now that CheckedBackend exists?
     needs_recovery: AtomicBool,
     storage: PagedCachedFile,
     state: Mutex<InMemoryState>,
@@ -261,6 +262,10 @@ impl TransactionalMemory {
         })
     }
 
+    pub(crate) fn check_io_errors(&self) -> Result {
+        self.storage.check_io_errors()
+    }
+
     #[cfg(any(test, fuzzing))]
     pub(crate) fn all_allocated_pages(&self) -> Vec<PageNumber> {
         self.state.lock().unwrap().allocators.all_allocated()
diff --git a/tests/integration_tests.rs b/tests/integration_tests.rs
index cb44dc70..8d23b946 100644
--- a/tests/integration_tests.rs
+++ b/tests/integration_tests.rs
@@ -1,17 +1,19 @@
-use std::borrow::Borrow;
-use std::fs;
-use std::io::ErrorKind;
-use std::marker::PhantomData;
-use std::ops::RangeBounds;
-
 use rand::prelude::SliceRandom;
 use rand::Rng;
+use redb::backends::FileBackend;
 use redb::{
     AccessGuard, Builder, CompactionError, Database, Durability, Key, MultimapRange,
     MultimapTableDefinition, MultimapValue, Range, ReadableTable, ReadableTableMetadata,
-    TableDefinition, TableStats, TransactionError, Value,
+    StorageBackend, TableDefinition, TableStats, TransactionError, Value,
 };
 use redb::{DatabaseError, ReadableMultimapTable, SavepointError, StorageError, TableError};
+use std::borrow::Borrow;
+use std::fs;
+use std::io::ErrorKind;
+use std::marker::PhantomData;
+use std::ops::RangeBounds;
+use std::sync::atomic::{AtomicBool, Ordering};
+use std::sync::Arc;
 
 const ELEMENTS: usize = 100;
 
@@ -41,6 +43,71 @@ fn gen_data(count: usize, key_size: usize, value_size: usize) -> Vec<(Vec<u8>, V
     pairs
 }
 
+#[test]
+fn previous_io_error() {
+    #[derive(Debug)]
+    struct FailingBackend {
+        inner: FileBackend,
+        fail_flag: Arc<AtomicBool>,
+    }
+
+    impl FailingBackend {
+        fn new(backend: FileBackend, fail_flag: Arc<AtomicBool>) -> Self {
+            Self {
+                inner: backend,
+                fail_flag,
+            }
+        }
+    }
+
+    impl StorageBackend for FailingBackend {
+        fn len(&self) -> Result<u64, std::io::Error> {
+            self.inner.len()
+        }
+
+        fn read(&self, offset: u64, len: usize) -> Result<Vec<u8>, std::io::Error> {
+            self.inner.read(offset, len)
+        }
+
+        fn set_len(&self, len: u64) -> Result<(), std::io::Error> {
+            self.inner.set_len(len)
+        }
+
+        fn sync_data(&self, eventual: bool) -> Result<(), std::io::Error> {
+            if self.fail_flag.load(Ordering::SeqCst) {
+                Err(std::io::Error::from(ErrorKind::Other))
+            } else {
+                self.inner.sync_data(eventual)
+            }
+        }
+
+        fn write(&self, offset: u64, data: &[u8]) -> Result<(), std::io::Error> {
+            self.inner.write(offset, data)
+        }
+    }
+
+    let tmpfile = create_tempfile();
+
+    let fail_flag = Arc::new(AtomicBool::new(false));
+    let backend = FailingBackend::new(
+        FileBackend::new(tmpfile.into_file()).unwrap(),
+        fail_flag.clone(),
+    );
+    let db = Database::builder().create_with_backend(backend).unwrap();
+    fail_flag.store(true, Ordering::SeqCst);
+    let txn = db.begin_write().unwrap();
+    {
+        let mut table = txn.open_table(U64_TABLE).unwrap();
+        table.insert(&0, &0).unwrap();
+    }
+    assert!(txn.commit().is_err());
+
+    assert!(matches!(
+        db.begin_write().err().unwrap(),
+        TransactionError::Storage(StorageError::PreviousIo)
+    ));
+}
+
 #[test]
 fn mixed_durable_commit() {
     let tmpfile = create_tempfile();