diff --git a/lib/OpenLayers/Tile/Image.js b/lib/OpenLayers/Tile/Image.js
index 7d6269c348..087693d79f 100644
--- a/lib/OpenLayers/Tile/Image.js
+++ b/lib/OpenLayers/Tile/Image.js
@@ -349,11 +349,8 @@ OpenLayers.Tile.Image = OpenLayers.Class(OpenLayers.Tile.BackBufferable, {
         // IE<7 needs a reflow when the tiles are loaded because of the
         // percentage based positioning. Otherwise nothing is shown
         // until the user interacts with the map in some way.
-        if (parseFloat(navigator.appVersion.split("MSIE")[1]) < 7) {
-            if (!this.layer || !this.layer.div) {
-                // nothing to do if the layer is destroyed already
-                return;
-            }
+        if (parseFloat(navigator.appVersion.split("MSIE")[1]) < 7 &&
+                this.layer && this.layer.div) {
             var span = document.createElement("span");
             span.style.display = "none";
             var layerDiv = this.layer.div;