--- a/dom/media/webspeech/synth/speechd/SpeechDispatcherService.cpp
+++ b/dom/media/webspeech/synth/speechd/SpeechDispatcherService.cpp
@@ -339,16 +339,20 @@ SpeechDispatcherService::Init()
     if (!*kSpeechDispatcherSymbols[i].function) {
       NS_WARNING(nsPrintfCString("Failed to find speechd symbol for'%s'",
                                  kSpeechDispatcherSymbols[i].functionName).get());
       return;
     }
   }
 
   mSpeechdClient = spd_open("firefox", "web speech api", "who", SPD_MODE_THREADED);
+  if (!mSpeechdClient) {
+    NS_WARNING("Failed to call spd_open");
+    return;
+  }
 
   // Get all the voices from sapi and register in the SynthVoiceRegistry
   SPDVoice** list = spd_list_synthesis_voices(mSpeechdClient);
 
   mSpeechdClient->callback_begin = speechd_cb;
   mSpeechdClient->callback_end = speechd_cb;
   mSpeechdClient->callback_cancel = speechd_cb;
   mSpeechdClient->callback_pause = speechd_cb;