diff --git a/src/core/runtime.d b/src/core/runtime.d
index e1ed8fc9fa6..c67e60a5179 100644
--- a/src/core/runtime.d
+++ b/src/core/runtime.d
@@ -442,8 +442,6 @@ Throwable.TraceInfo defaultTraceHandler( void* ptr = null )
         {
             this()
             {
-                static enum MAXFRAMES = 128;
-                void*[MAXFRAMES]  callstack;
                 numframes = 0; //backtrace( callstack, MAXFRAMES );
                 if (numframes < 2) // backtrace() failed, do it ourselves
                 {
@@ -475,12 +473,10 @@ Throwable.TraceInfo defaultTraceHandler( void* ptr = null )
                         }
                     }
                 }
-                framelist = backtrace_symbols( callstack.ptr, numframes );
             }
 
             ~this()
             {
-                free( framelist );
             }
 
             override int opApply( scope int delegate(ref const(char[])) dg ) const
@@ -512,6 +508,9 @@ Throwable.TraceInfo defaultTraceHandler( void* ptr = null )
                 }
                 int ret = 0;
 
+                const framelist = backtrace_symbols( callstack.ptr, numframes );
+                scope(exit) free(cast(void*) framelist);
+
                 for( int i = FIRSTFRAME; i < numframes; ++i )
                 {
                     char[4096] fixbuf;
@@ -535,7 +534,8 @@ Throwable.TraceInfo defaultTraceHandler( void* ptr = null )
 
         private:
             int     numframes;
-            char**  framelist;
+            static enum MAXFRAMES = 128;
+            void*[MAXFRAMES]  callstack;
 
         private:
             const(char)[] fixline( const(char)[] buf, ref char[4096] fixbuf ) const
@@ -597,6 +597,10 @@ Throwable.TraceInfo defaultTraceHandler( void* ptr = null )
                 }
 
                 assert(symBeg < buf.length && symEnd < buf.length);
+                if(symBeg == symEnd)
+                {
+                    return buf;
+                }
                 assert(symBeg < symEnd);
 
                 enum min = (size_t a, size_t b) => a <= b ? a : b;