diff --git a/aos/events/logging/logfile_utils.cc b/aos/events/logging/logfile_utils.cc
index 36bac42..ec6bff3 100644
--- a/aos/events/logging/logfile_utils.cc
+++ b/aos/events/logging/logfile_utils.cc
@@ -111,6 +111,26 @@
     *os << "null";
   }
 }
+
+// A dummy LogSink implementation that handles the special case when we create
+// a DetachedBufferWriter when there's no space left on the system. The
+// DetachedBufferWriter frequently dereferences log_sink_, so we want a class
+// here that effectively refuses to do anything meaningful.
+class OutOfDiskSpaceLogSink : public LogSink {
+ public:
+  WriteCode OpenForWrite() override { return WriteCode::kOutOfSpace; }
+  WriteCode Close() override { return WriteCode::kOk; }
+  bool is_open() const override { return false; }
+  WriteResult Write(
+      const absl::Span<const absl::Span<const uint8_t>> &) override {
+    return WriteResult{
+        .code = WriteCode::kOutOfSpace,
+        .messages_written = 0,
+    };
+  }
+  std::string_view name() const override { return "<out_of_disk_space>"; }
+};
+
 }  // namespace
 
 DetachedBufferWriter::DetachedBufferWriter(std::unique_ptr<LogSink> log_sink,
@@ -123,6 +143,10 @@
   }
 }
 
+DetachedBufferWriter::DetachedBufferWriter(already_out_of_space_t)
+    : DetachedBufferWriter(std::make_unique<OutOfDiskSpaceLogSink>(), nullptr) {
+}
+
 DetachedBufferWriter::~DetachedBufferWriter() {
   Close();
   if (ran_out_of_space_) {
diff --git a/aos/events/logging/logfile_utils.h b/aos/events/logging/logfile_utils.h
index 9dc7d88..18902d3 100644
--- a/aos/events/logging/logfile_utils.h
+++ b/aos/events/logging/logfile_utils.h
@@ -56,11 +56,11 @@
                        std::unique_ptr<DataEncoder> encoder);
   // Creates a dummy instance which won't even open a file. It will act as if
   // opening the file ran out of space immediately.
-  DetachedBufferWriter(already_out_of_space_t) : ran_out_of_space_(true) {}
+  DetachedBufferWriter(already_out_of_space_t);
   DetachedBufferWriter(DetachedBufferWriter &&other);
   DetachedBufferWriter(const DetachedBufferWriter &) = delete;
 
-  ~DetachedBufferWriter();
+  virtual ~DetachedBufferWriter();
 
   DetachedBufferWriter &operator=(DetachedBufferWriter &&other);
   DetachedBufferWriter &operator=(const DetachedBufferWriter &) = delete;