diff --git a/response_writer.go b/response_writer.go
index 305322b6..7a67bfdf 100644
--- a/response_writer.go
+++ b/response_writer.go
@@ -134,7 +134,7 @@ func (w *responseWriter) CloseNotify() <-chan bool {
 	if cn, ok := w.ResponseWriter.(http.CloseNotifier); ok {
 		return cn.CloseNotify()
 	}
-	return nil
+	return make(chan bool)
 }
 
 // Flush implements the http.Flusher interface.
diff --git a/response_writer_test.go b/response_writer_test.go
index 02dbe4dd..a58068f0 100644
--- a/response_writer_test.go
+++ b/response_writer_test.go
@@ -118,7 +118,7 @@ func TestResponseWriterHijack(t *testing.T) {
 	assert.True(t, w.Written())
 
 	ch := w.CloseNotify()
-	assert.Nil(t, ch)
+	assert.NotNil(t, ch)
 
 	w.Flush()
 }
@@ -338,7 +338,12 @@ func TestCloseNotifyWithoutCloseNotifier(t *testing.T) {
 	w.reset(rw)
 
 	ch := w.CloseNotify()
-	assert.Nil(t, ch, "Expected CloseNotify channel to be nil when underlying writer does not support it")
+	assert.NotNil(t, ch, "Expected non-nil channel when CloseNotifier is not supported")
+	select {
+	case <-ch:
+		t.Fatal("channel should never fire when CloseNotifier is not supported")
+	default:
+	}
 }
 
 func TestHijackWithoutHijacker(t *testing.T) {