diff --git a/doc/doxygen/modules.txt b/doc/doxygen/modules.txt
index 34859496ed00fc11b68fcd6ef40302f8e82c1156..35e5320a7bdc2903c5f48fdc9ebc6e3b947942af 100644
--- a/doc/doxygen/modules.txt
+++ b/doc/doxygen/modules.txt
@@ -40,7 +40,7 @@
      in the HepMC2 style. This is pre-3.2.6 default behaviour. 
      Otherwise, the cross-section vector will be expanded to the size  of event weights. This is 3.2.6+ default behaviour.
      If present, "fill_crosssections_value"/"fill_crosssections_error" values will be inserted into the cross-section vector.
-     Otherwise, the nominal cross-section and error will be used.
+     Otherwise, the cross-sections and errors will be filled with zeros.
      
 
       "particle_flows_are_separated"
diff --git a/src/ReaderAsciiHepMC2.cc b/src/ReaderAsciiHepMC2.cc
index 446ea62cec65a4f7e63a4cd6236dd3b428e855ac..f9418acf7d20fe1f2a4a9016bf740252a99060fe 100644
--- a/src/ReaderAsciiHepMC2.cc
+++ b/src/ReaderAsciiHepMC2.cc
@@ -609,8 +609,8 @@ bool ReaderAsciiHepMC2::parse_xs_info(GenEvent &evt, const char *buf) {
     if ( !(cursor = strchr(cursor+1, ' ')) ) return false;
     const double xs_err = atof(cursor);
     const size_t all = m_options.count("keep_single_crosssection") ? size_t{1} : std::max(evt.weights().size(),size_t{1});
-    const double xs_val_dummy = m_options.count("fill_crosssections_value") ? std::strtod(m_options.at("fill_crosssections_value").c_str(),nullptr) : xs_val;
-    const double xs_err_dummy = m_options.count("fill_crosssections_error") ? std::strtod(m_options.at("fill_crosssections_error").c_str(),nullptr) : xs_err;
+    const double xs_val_dummy = m_options.count("fill_crosssections_value") ? std::strtod(m_options.at("fill_crosssections_value").c_str(),nullptr) : 0.0;
+    const double xs_err_dummy = m_options.count("fill_crosssections_error") ? std::strtod(m_options.at("fill_crosssections_error").c_str(),nullptr) : 0.0;
     xs->set_cross_section(std::vector<double>(all,xs_val_dummy), std::vector<double>(all,xs_err_dummy));
     xs->set_xsec(0,xs_val);
     xs->set_xsec_err(0,xs_err);