diff --git a/flang/lib/Semantics/check-nullify.cpp b/flang/lib/Semantics/check-nullify.cpp
--- a/flang/lib/Semantics/check-nullify.cpp
+++ b/flang/lib/Semantics/check-nullify.cpp
@@ -26,17 +26,17 @@
     std::visit(
         common::visitors{
             [&](const parser::Name &name) {
-              const Symbol &symbol{DEREF(name.symbol)};
-              if (context_.HasError(&symbol)) {
+              const Symbol *symbol{name.symbol};
+              if (context_.HasError(symbol)) {
                 // already reported an error
-              } else if (!IsVariableName(symbol) && !IsProcName(symbol)) {
+              } else if (!IsVariableName(*symbol) && !IsProcName(*symbol)) {
                 messages.Say(name.source,
                     "name in NULLIFY statement must be a variable or procedure pointer name"_err_en_US);
-              } else if (!IsPointer(symbol)) { // C951
+              } else if (!IsPointer(*symbol)) { // C951
                 messages.Say(name.source,
                     "name in NULLIFY statement must have the POINTER attribute"_err_en_US);
               } else if (pure) {
-                CheckDefinabilityInPureScope(messages, symbol, scope, *pure);
+                CheckDefinabilityInPureScope(messages, *symbol, scope, *pure);
               }
             },
             [&](const parser::StructureComponent &structureComponent) {
diff --git a/flang/test/Semantics/nullify02.f90 b/flang/test/Semantics/nullify02.f90
--- a/flang/test/Semantics/nullify02.f90
+++ b/flang/test/Semantics/nullify02.f90
@@ -29,3 +29,21 @@
 Nullify(maxvalue)
 
 End Program
+
+! Make sure that the compiler doesn't crash when NULLIFY is used in a context
+! that has reported errors
+module badNullify
+  interface
+    module function ptrFun()
+      integer, pointer :: ptrFun
+    end function
+  end interface
+contains
+  !ERROR: 'ptrfun' was not declared a separate module procedure
+  module function ptrFun()
+    integer, pointer :: ptrFun
+    real :: realVar
+    nullify(ptrFun)
+    nullify(realVar)
+  end function
+end module