diff --git a/sprockets_postgres.py b/sprockets_postgres.py
index 9063985..252fb46 100644
--- a/sprockets_postgres.py
+++ b/sprockets_postgres.py
@@ -340,26 +340,22 @@ class ApplicationMixin:
                         timeout=timeout) as cursor:
                     yield PostgresConnector(
                         cursor, on_error, on_duration, timeout)
-        except (asyncio.TimeoutError, psycopg2.Error) as err:
-            message = str(err)
+        except (asyncio.TimeoutError, psycopg2.OperationalError) as err:
             if isinstance(err, psycopg2.OperationalError) and _attempt == 1:
                 LOGGER.critical('Disconnected from Postgres: %s', err)
-                retry = True
                 if not self._postgres_reconnect.locked():
                     async with self._postgres_reconnect:
-                        retry = await self._postgres_connect()
-                if retry:
-                    await self._postgres_connected.wait()
-                    async with self.postgres_connector(
-                            on_error, on_duration, timeout,
-                            _attempt + 1) as connector:
-                        yield connector
-                    return
-                message = 'disconnected'
-            exc = on_error('postgres_connector', ConnectionException(message))
+                        if await self._postgres_connect():
+                            await self._postgres_connected.wait()
+                            async with self.postgres_connector(
+                                    on_error, on_duration, timeout,
+                                    _attempt + 1) as connector:
+                                yield connector
+                            return
+            exc = on_error('postgres_connector', ConnectionException(str(err)))
             if exc:
                 raise exc
-            else:   # postgres_status.on_error does not return an exception
+            else:  # postgres_status.on_error does not return an exception
                 yield None
 
     async def postgres_status(self) -> dict:
diff --git a/tests.py b/tests.py
index a6bdcce..64f221c 100644
--- a/tests.py
+++ b/tests.py
@@ -216,6 +216,51 @@ class TransactionRequestHandler(RequestHandler):
             'user': self.cast_data(user.row)})
 
 
+class TimeoutErrorRequestHandler(RequestHandler):
+
+    GET_SQL = 'SELECT 1;'
+
+    async def get(self):
+        await self.postgres_execute(self.GET_SQL)
+        raise web.HTTPError(500, 'This should have failed')
+
+    def _on_postgres_error(self,
+                           metric_name: str,
+                           exc: Exception) -> typing.Optional[Exception]:
+        """Override for different error handling behaviors
+
+        Return an exception if you would like for it to be raised, or swallow
+        it here.
+
+        """
+        if isinstance(exc, asyncio.TimeoutError):
+            raise web.HTTPError(418)
+        return exc
+
+
+class UnhandledExceptionRequestHandler(RequestHandler):
+
+    GET_SQL = 'SELECT 100 / 0;'
+
+    async def get(self):
+        try:
+            await self.postgres_execute(self.GET_SQL)
+        except psycopg2.DataError:
+            raise web.HTTPError(422)
+        raise web.HTTPError(500, 'This should have failed')
+
+    def _on_postgres_error(self,
+                           metric_name: str,
+                           exc: Exception) -> typing.Optional[Exception]:
+        """Override for different error handling behaviors
+
+        Return an exception if you would like for it to be raised, or swallow
+        it here.
+
+        """
+        return exc
+
+
 class Application(sprockets_postgres.ApplicationMixin,
                   app.Application):
 
@@ -257,8 +302,10 @@ class TestCase(testing.SprocketsHttpTestCase):
             web.url('/no-error', NoErrorRequestHandler),
             web.url('/no-row', NoRowRequestHandler),
             web.url('/status', StatusRequestHandler),
+            web.url('/timeout-error', TimeoutErrorRequestHandler),
             web.url('/transaction', TransactionRequestHandler),
-            web.url('/transaction/(?P<test_id>.*)', TransactionRequestHandler)
+            web.url('/transaction/(?P<test_id>.*)', TransactionRequestHandler),
+            web.url('/unhandled-exception', UnhandledExceptionRequestHandler)
         ])
         return self.app
 
@@ -451,6 +498,16 @@ class RequestHandlerMixinTestCase(TestCase):
         with self.assertRaises(RuntimeError):
             await asyncio.gather(invoke_cursor(), invoke_cursor())
 
+    @mock.patch('aiopg.cursor.Cursor.execute')
+    def test_timeout_error_when_overriding_on_postgres_error(self, execute):
+        execute.side_effect = asyncio.TimeoutError
+        response = self.fetch('/timeout-error')
+        self.assertEqual(response.code, 418)
+
+    def test_unhandled_exception_in_on_postgres_error(self):
+        response = self.fetch('/unhandled-exception')
+        self.assertEqual(response.code, 422)
+
 
 class TransactionTestCase(TestCase):