diff --git a/source/vibe/core/sync.d b/source/vibe/core/sync.d
index 4b76bbd..dfac097 100644
--- a/source/vibe/core/sync.d
+++ b/source/vibe/core/sync.d
@@ -799,8 +799,8 @@ struct ManualEvent {
 	private {
 		int m_emitCount;
 		static struct Waiters {
-			StackSList!ThreadLocalWaiter active;
-			StackSList!ThreadLocalWaiter free;
+			StackSList!ThreadLocalWaiter active; // actively waiting
+			StackSList!ThreadLocalWaiter free; // free-list of reusable waiter structs
 		}
 		Monitor!(Waiters, shared(SpinLock)) m_waiters;
 	}
@@ -955,7 +955,7 @@ struct ManualEvent {
 
 	private void acquireThreadWaiter(DEL)(scope DEL del)
 	shared {
-		import vibe.internal.allocator : theAllocator, make;
+		import vibe.internal.allocator : processAllocator, make;
 		import core.memory : GC;
 
 		ThreadLocalWaiter* w;
@@ -965,6 +965,8 @@ struct ManualEvent {
 			active.iterate((aw) {
 				if (aw.m_driver is drv) {
 					w = aw;
+					w.addRef();
+					return false;
 				}
 				return true;
 			});
@@ -973,6 +975,7 @@ struct ManualEvent {
 				free.filter((fw) {
 					if (fw.m_driver is drv) {
 						w = fw;
+						w.addRef();
 						return false;
 					}
 					return true;
@@ -981,7 +984,7 @@ struct ManualEvent {
 				if (!w) {
 					() @trusted {
 						try {
-							w = theAllocator.make!ThreadLocalWaiter;
+							w = processAllocator.make!ThreadLocalWaiter;
 							w.m_driver = drv;
 							w.m_event = ms_threadEvent;
 							GC.addRange(cast(void*)w, ThreadLocalWaiter.sizeof);
@@ -996,9 +999,12 @@ struct ManualEvent {
 		}
 
 		scope (exit) {
-			if (w.unused) {
+			if (!w.releaseRef()) {
+				assert(w.m_driver is drv);
+				assert(w.unused);
 				with (m_waiters.lock) {
-					active.remove(w);
+					auto rmvd = active.remove(w);
+					assert(rmvd);
 					free.add(w);
 					// TODO: cap size of m_freeWaiters
 				}
@@ -1026,6 +1032,62 @@ unittest {
 	runEventLoop();
 }
 
+unittest {
+	import vibe.core.core : runTask, runWorkerTaskH, setTimer, sleep;
+	import vibe.core.taskpool : TaskPool;
+	import core.time : msecs, usecs;
+	import std.concurrency : send, receiveOnly;
+	import std.random : uniform;
+
+	auto tpool = new shared TaskPool(4);
+	scope (exit) tpool.terminate();
+
+	static void test(shared(ManualEvent)* evt, Task owner)
+	{
+		owner.tid.send(Task.getThis());
+
+		int ec = evt.emitCount;
+		auto thist = Task.getThis();
+		auto tm = setTimer(500.msecs, { thist.interrupt(); }); // watchdog
+		scope (exit) tm.stop();
+		while (ec < 5_000) {
+			tm.rearm(500.msecs);
+			sleep(uniform(0, 10_000).usecs);
+			if (uniform(0, 10) == 0) evt.emit();
+			auto ecn = evt.wait(ec);
+			assert(ecn > ec);
+			ec = ecn;
+		}
+	}
+
+	auto watchdog = setTimer(30.seconds, { assert(false, "ManualEvent test has hung."); });
+	scope (exit) watchdog.stop();
+
+	auto e = createSharedManualEvent();
+	Task[] tasks;
+
+	runTask({
+		auto thist = Task.getThis();
+
+		// start 25 tasks in each thread
+		foreach (i; 0 .. 25) tpool.runTaskDist(&test, &e, thist);
+		// collect all task handles
+		foreach (i; 0 .. 4*25) tasks ~= receiveOnly!Task;
+
+		auto tm = setTimer(500.msecs, { thist.interrupt(); }); // watchdog
+		scope (exit) tm.stop();
+		int pec = 0;
+		while (e.emitCount < 5_000) {
+			tm.rearm(500.msecs);
+			sleep(50.usecs);
+			e.emit();
+		}
+
+		// wait for all worker tasks to finish
+		foreach (t; tasks) t.join();
+	}).join();
+}
+
 package shared struct Monitor(T, M)
 {
 	alias Mutex = M;
@@ -1112,6 +1174,7 @@ private struct ThreadLocalWaiter {
 		NativeEventDriver m_driver;
 		EventID m_event = EventID.invalid;
 		Waiter* m_waiters;
+		int m_refCount = 1;
 	}
 
 	this(this)
@@ -1128,6 +1191,9 @@ private struct ThreadLocalWaiter {
 
 	@property bool unused() const @safe nothrow { return m_waiters is null; }
 
+	void addRef() @safe nothrow { m_refCount++; }
+	bool releaseRef() @safe nothrow { return --m_refCount > 0; }
+
 	bool wait(bool interruptible)(Duration timeout, EventID evt = EventID.invalid, scope bool delegate() @safe nothrow exit_condition = null)
 	@safe {
 		import std.datetime : SysTime, Clock, UTC;
@@ -1249,6 +1315,7 @@ private struct StackSList(T)
 
 	void add(T* elem)
 	{
+		debug iterate((el) { assert(el !is elem, "Double-insertion of list element."); return true; });
 		elem.next = m_first;
 		m_first = elem;
 	}