diff --git a/server/handler.go b/server/handler.go
index 67d672777b..35e0718d23 100644
--- a/server/handler.go
+++ b/server/handler.go
@@ -17,6 +17,7 @@ package server
 import (
 	"context"
 	"encoding/base64"
+	goerrors "errors"
 	"fmt"
 	"io"
 	"net"
@@ -609,31 +610,32 @@ func resultForMax1RowIter(ctx *sql.Context, schema sql.Schema, iter sql.RowIter,
 
 // resultForDefaultIter reads batches of rows from the iterator
 // and writes results into the callback function.
-func (h *Handler) resultForDefaultIter(ctx *sql.Context, c *mysql.Conn, schema sql.Schema, iter sql.RowIter, callback func(*sqltypes.Result, bool) error, resultFields []*querypb.Field, more bool, buf *sql.ByteBuffer) (r *sqltypes.Result, processedAtLeastOneBatch bool, returnErr error) {
+func (h *Handler) resultForDefaultIter(ctx *sql.Context, c *mysql.Conn, schema sql.Schema, iter sql.RowIter, callback func(*sqltypes.Result, bool) error, resultFields []*querypb.Field, more bool, buf *sql.ByteBuffer) (*sqltypes.Result, bool, error) {
 	defer trace.StartRegion(ctx, "Handler.resultForDefaultIter").End()
 
 	eg, ctx := ctx.NewErrgroup()
-
-	pan2err := func() {
+	pan2err := func(err *error) {
 		if recoveredPanic := recover(); recoveredPanic != nil {
-			returnErr = fmt.Errorf("handler caught panic: %v", recoveredPanic)
+			*err = goerrors.Join(*err, fmt.Errorf("handler caught panic: %v", recoveredPanic))
 		}
 	}
-
 	wg := sync.WaitGroup{}
 	wg.Add(2)
 
+	var r *sqltypes.Result
+	var processedAtLeastOneBatch bool
+
 	// Read rows off the row iterator and send them to the row channel.
 	iter, projs := GetDeferredProjections(iter)
 	var rowChan = make(chan sql.Row, 512)
-	eg.Go(func() error {
-		defer pan2err()
+	eg.Go(func() (err error) {
+		defer pan2err(&err)
 		defer wg.Done()
 		defer close(rowChan)
 		for {
 			select {
 			case <-ctx.Done():
-				return nil
+				return context.Cause(ctx)
 			default:
 				row, err := iter.Next(ctx)
 				if err == io.EOF {
@@ -651,9 +653,12 @@ func (h *Handler) resultForDefaultIter(ctx *sql.Context, c *mysql.Conn, schema s
 		}
 	})
 
+	// TODO: poll for closed connections should obviously also run even if
+	// we're doing something with an OK result or a single row result, etc.
+	// This should be in the caller.
 	pollCtx, cancelF := ctx.NewSubContext()
-	eg.Go(func() error {
-		defer pan2err()
+	eg.Go(func() (err error) {
+		defer pan2err(&err)
 		return h.pollForClosedConnection(pollCtx, c)
 	})
 
@@ -676,8 +681,8 @@ func (h *Handler) resultForDefaultIter(ctx *sql.Context, c *mysql.Conn, schema s
 
 	// Reads rows from the channel, converts them to wire format,
 	// and calls |callback| to give them to vitess.
-	eg.Go(func() error {
-		defer pan2err()
+	eg.Go(func() (err error) {
+		defer pan2err(&err)
 		defer cancelF()
 		defer wg.Done()
 		for {
@@ -695,7 +700,7 @@ func (h *Handler) resultForDefaultIter(ctx *sql.Context, c *mysql.Conn, schema s
 
 			select {
 			case <-ctx.Done():
-				return nil
+				return context.Cause(ctx)
 			case row, ok := <-rowChan:
 				if !ok {
 					return nil
@@ -716,6 +721,9 @@ func (h *Handler) resultForDefaultIter(ctx *sql.Context, c *mysql.Conn, schema s
 				ctx.GetLogger().Tracef("spooling result row %s", outputRow)
 				r.Rows = append(r.Rows, outputRow)
 				r.RowsAffected++
+				if !timer.Stop() {
+					<-timer.C
+				}
 			case <-timer.C:
 				// TODO: timer should probably go in its own thread, as rowChan is blocking
 				if h.readTimeout != 0 {
@@ -724,17 +732,14 @@ func (h *Handler) resultForDefaultIter(ctx *sql.Context, c *mysql.Conn, schema s
 					return ErrRowTimeout.New()
 				}
 			}
-			if !timer.Stop() {
-				<-timer.C
-			}
 			timer.Reset(waitTime)
 		}
 	})
 
 	// Close() kills this PID in the process list,
 	// wait until all rows have be sent over the wire
-	eg.Go(func() error {
-		defer pan2err()
+	eg.Go(func() (err error) {
+		defer pan2err(&err)
 		wg.Wait()
 		return iter.Close(ctx)
 	})
@@ -745,9 +750,9 @@ func (h *Handler) resultForDefaultIter(ctx *sql.Context, c *mysql.Conn, schema s
 		if verboseErrorLogging {
 			fmt.Printf("Err: %+v", err)
 		}
-		returnErr = err
+		return nil, false, err
 	}
-	return
+	return r, processedAtLeastOneBatch, nil
 }
 
 // See https://dev.mysql.com/doc/internals/en/status-flags.html