diff --git a/RLTest/__main__.py b/RLTest/__main__.py
index f9d783e..3367afa 100644
--- a/RLTest/__main__.py
+++ b/RLTest/__main__.py
@@ -745,8 +745,10 @@ def _runTest(self, test, numberOfAssertionFailed=0, prefix='', before=lambda x=N
             after_func = after
 
         hasException = False
+        setup_ok = False
         try:
             before_func()
+            setup_ok = True
             fn()
             passed = True
         except unittest.SkipTest:
@@ -769,7 +771,23 @@ def _runTest(self, test, numberOfAssertionFailed=0, prefix='', before=lambda x=N
             hasException = True
             passed = False
         finally:
-            after_func()
+            # A tearDown written against a successful setUp (e.g. one that
+            # reads self.env) will itself raise if setUp never got that far.
+            # Skip it in that case, and otherwise route a tearDown failure
+            # through handleFailure like any other test failure: letting it
+            # escape here bypasses handleFailure and kills the whole worker
+            # process instead of just failing this one test.
+            if setup_ok:
+                try:
+                    after_func()
+                except Exception as teardown_err:
+                    if self.args.exit_on_failure:
+                        raise
+
+                    self.handleFailure(testFullName=testFullName, exception=teardown_err,
+                                       prefix=msgPrefix, testname=test.name, env=self.currEnv)
+                    hasException = True
+                    passed = False
 
         numFailed = 0
         if self.currEnv:
diff --git a/tests/unit/test_teardown_after_failed_setup.py b/tests/unit/test_teardown_after_failed_setup.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..87f56a6
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/unit/test_teardown_after_failed_setup.py
@@ -0,0 +1,79 @@
+"""Regression test for a worker crash when tearDown assumes setUp succeeded.
+
+RLTest._runTest ran a class-based test's tearDown unconditionally in a bare
+``finally``, even when setUp itself raised. A tearDown written against a
+successful setUp (e.g. one that calls ``self.env.flush()``) then raises its
+own exception -- typically AttributeError, since the attribute setUp would
+have assigned was never set. That second exception escaped _runTest uncaught,
+which in the parallel coordinator kills the whole worker process instead of
+just failing the one test.
+"""
+
+import argparse
+from unittest import TestCase
+
+from RLTest.__main__ import RLTest
+from RLTest.loader import TestMethod
+
+
+def _make_rltest():
+    # Bypass __init__ (argparse over sys.argv, config-file lookup): _runTest
+    # only touches self.args.exit_on_failure, self.currEnv and self.testsFailed.
+    rl = RLTest.__new__(RLTest)
+    rl.args = argparse.Namespace(exit_on_failure=False, stop_on_failure=False,
+                                  interactive_debugger=False)
+    rl.currEnv = None
+    rl.testsFailed = {}
+    return rl
+
+
+class _EnvUser:
+    """Mimics a test class whose setUp fails before assigning self.env."""
+
+    def setUp(self):
+        raise ConnectionError('simulated env startup failure')
+
+    def tearDown(self):
+        # A real test class does this unconditionally; if setUp never ran to
+        # completion, self.env does not exist.
+        self.env.flush()
+
+    def test_something(self):
+        raise AssertionError('should never run: setUp already failed')
+
+
+class TestTearDownAfterFailedSetup(TestCase):
+
+    def test_failed_setup_skips_teardown_without_crashing(self):
+        rl = _make_rltest()
+        instance = _EnvUser()
+        test = TestMethod(instance.test_something, name='fake:test_something')
+
+        # Must not raise: a failed setUp should be reported like any other
+        # test failure, not escape as an unhandled exception.
+        numFailed = rl._runTest(test, before=instance.setUp, after=instance.tearDown)
+
+        self.assertEqual(numFailed, 1)
+        self.assertIn('fake:test_something', rl.testsFailed)
+        self.assertIn('simulated env startup failure', str(rl.testsFailed['fake:test_something']))
+
+    def test_teardown_failure_after_successful_test_is_reported_not_raised(self):
+        rl = _make_rltest()
+
+        class _BrokenTeardown:
+            def setUp(self):
+                pass
+
+            def tearDown(self):
+                raise RuntimeError('teardown blew up')
+
+            def test_something(self):
+                pass
+
+        instance = _BrokenTeardown()
+        test = TestMethod(instance.test_something, name='fake:test_something2')
+
+        rl._runTest(test, before=instance.setUp, after=instance.tearDown)
+
+        self.assertIn('fake:test_something2', rl.testsFailed)
+        self.assertIn('teardown blew up', str(rl.testsFailed['fake:test_something2']))