diff --git a/CHANGELOG b/CHANGELOG
index d8590862..2db77434 100644
--- a/CHANGELOG
+++ b/CHANGELOG
@@ -1,5 +1,7 @@
 === Edge
 
+* Don't add hard break after preexisting <br />. [Jason Garber]
+
 * Change to list attributes so you can give style/class to list items (taken from PyTextile).  Breaks backwards compatibility.
   
   Before, the style applied to the first list item applied to the entire list.  Now, class/id/style placed
diff --git a/ext/redcloth_scan/redcloth_inline.rl b/ext/redcloth_scan/redcloth_inline.rl
index 4b8f8230..29629d3d 100644
--- a/ext/redcloth_scan/redcloth_inline.rl
+++ b/ext/redcloth_scan/redcloth_inline.rl
@@ -17,6 +17,7 @@
   empty_tag = empty_tag_noactions >X >A %T ;
   end_tag = end_tag_noactions >X >A %T ;
   html_comment = ("<!--" (default+) :>> "-->") >X >A %T;
+  html_break = ("<br" space* AttrSet* (AttrEnd)? "/"? ">" LF?) >X >A %T ;
   
   # links
   link_text_char = (default - [ "<>]) ;
@@ -150,6 +151,7 @@
     end_tag { INLINE(block, "inline_html"); };
     empty_tag { INLINE(block, "inline_html"); };
     html_comment { INLINE(block, "inline_html"); };
+    html_break { INLINE(block, "inline_html"); };
     
     redcloth_version { INLINE(block, "inline_redcloth_version"); };
     
diff --git a/spec/fixtures/html.yml b/spec/fixtures/html.yml
index 18f907cf..c3486537 100644
--- a/spec/fixtures/html.yml
+++ b/spec/fixtures/html.yml
@@ -29,6 +29,21 @@ html: |-
   if you break.</li>
   </ul>
 ---
+name: line breaks
+desc: Explicit HTML line breaks are not double-broken
+in: |-
+  I spoke.<br />
+  And none replied.
+html: |-
+  <p>I spoke.<br />
+  And none replied.</p>
+html_no_breaks: |-
+  <p>I spoke.<br />
+  And none replied.</p>
+lite_mode_html: |-
+  I spoke.<br />
+  And none replied.
+---
 name: mixing of textile and XHTML
 in: |-
   <img src="test.jpg" alt="test" />