diff --git a/bin/cp/cp.c b/bin/cp/cp.c
index b83eead..a5a6d84 100644
--- a/bin/cp/cp.c
+++ b/bin/cp/cp.c
@@ -83,8 +83,8 @@ static char emptystring[] = "";
 
 PATH_T to = { to.p_path, emptystring, "" };
 
-int fflag, iflag, lflag, nflag, pflag, vflag;
-static int Rflag, rflag;
+int fflag, Hflag, iflag, Lflag, lflag, nflag, pflag, Rflag, vflag;
+static int rflag;
 volatile sig_atomic_t info;
 
 enum op { FILE_TO_FILE, FILE_TO_DIR, DIR_TO_DNE };
@@ -98,7 +98,7 @@ main(int argc, char *argv[])
 {
 	struct stat to_stat, tmp_stat;
 	enum op type;
-	int Hflag, Lflag, ch, fts_options, r, have_trailing_slash;
+	int ch, fts_options, r, have_trailing_slash;
 	char *target;
 
 	fts_options = FTS_NOCHDIR | FTS_PHYSICAL;
@@ -383,10 +383,9 @@ copy(char *argv[], enum op type, int fts_options)
 			continue;
 		}
 
-		/* Not an error but need to remember it happened */
-		if (stat(to.p_path, &to_stat) == -1)
-			dne = 1;
-		else {
+		dne = (stat_tofile(curr->fts_statp, &to_stat) != 0);
+
+		if (!dne) {
 			if (to_stat.st_dev == curr->fts_statp->st_dev &&
 			    to_stat.st_ino == curr->fts_statp->st_ino) {
 				warnx("%s and %s are identical (not copied).",
diff --git a/bin/cp/extern.h b/bin/cp/extern.h
index 94c416b..ef6bd67 100644
--- a/bin/cp/extern.h
+++ b/bin/cp/extern.h
@@ -37,7 +37,7 @@ typedef struct {
 } PATH_T;
 
 extern PATH_T to;
-extern int fflag, iflag, lflag, nflag, pflag, vflag;
+extern int fflag, Hflag, iflag, Lflag, lflag, nflag, pflag, Rflag, vflag;
 extern volatile sig_atomic_t info;
 
 __BEGIN_DECLS
@@ -48,5 +48,6 @@ int	copy_special(struct stat *, int);
 int	setfile(struct stat *, int);
 int	preserve_dir_acls(struct stat *, char *, char *);
 int	preserve_fd_acls(int, int);
+int	stat_tofile(const struct stat *, struct stat *);
 void	usage(void);
 __END_DECLS
diff --git a/bin/cp/utils.c b/bin/cp/utils.c
index 96ca12d..5ee37c0 100644
--- a/bin/cp/utils.c
+++ b/bin/cp/utils.c
@@ -532,6 +532,27 @@ preserve_dir_acls(struct stat *fs, char *source_dir, char *dest_dir)
 	return (0);
 }
 
+int
+stat_tofile(const struct stat *srcsb, struct stat *dstsb)
+{
+	struct stat sb;
+	int dangling;
+
+	dangling = (lstat(to.p_path, &sb) == 0) && (stat(to.p_path, &sb) == -1);
+
+	if (vflag && dangling)
+		printf("destination '%s' is a dangling symlink\n", to.p_path);
+
+	/*
+	 * If the destination file is a dangling symlink, make it possible to
+	 * create new files by copying through that symlink.
+	 */
+	if ((dangling && S_ISREG(srcsb->st_mode)) || Hflag || Lflag)
+		return (stat(to.p_path, dstsb));
+	else
+		return (lstat(to.p_path, dstsb));
+}
+
 void
 usage(void)
 {