diff --git a/hibernate-core/src/main/java/org/hibernate/collection/spi/AbstractPersistentCollection.java b/hibernate-core/src/main/java/org/hibernate/collection/spi/AbstractPersistentCollection.java
index 42e9fef2e2ad..8325b338afe5 100644
--- a/hibernate-core/src/main/java/org/hibernate/collection/spi/AbstractPersistentCollection.java
+++ b/hibernate-core/src/main/java/org/hibernate/collection/spi/AbstractPersistentCollection.java
@@ -163,6 +163,7 @@ protected boolean readSize() {
 									session.getPersistenceContextInternal().getCollectionEntry( this );
 							if ( entry != null ) {
 								final CollectionPersister persister = entry.getLoadedPersister();
+								checkPersister( this, persister );
 								if ( persister.isExtraLazy() ) {
 									// TODO: support for extra-lazy collections was
 									//       dropped so this code should be obsolete
@@ -331,6 +332,7 @@ protected Boolean readIndexExistence(final Object index) {
 					() -> {
 						final CollectionEntry entry = session.getPersistenceContextInternal().getCollectionEntry( this );
 						final CollectionPersister persister = entry.getLoadedPersister();
+						checkPersister( this, persister );
 						if ( persister.isExtraLazy() ) {
 							if ( hasQueuedOperations() ) {
 								session.flush();
@@ -353,6 +355,7 @@ protected Boolean readElementExistence(final Object element) {
 					() -> {
 						final CollectionEntry entry = session.getPersistenceContextInternal().getCollectionEntry( this );
 						final CollectionPersister persister = entry.getLoadedPersister();
+						checkPersister( this, persister );
 						if ( persister.isExtraLazy() ) {
 							if ( hasQueuedOperations() ) {
 								session.flush();
@@ -399,6 +402,7 @@ public Object doWork() {
 							session.getPersistenceContextInternal()
 									.getCollectionEntry( AbstractPersistentCollection.this );
 					final CollectionPersister persister = entry.getLoadedPersister();
+					checkPersister( AbstractPersistentCollection.this, persister );
 					isExtraLazy = persister.isExtraLazy();
 					if ( isExtraLazy ) {
 						if ( hasQueuedOperations() ) {
@@ -646,12 +650,22 @@ private void throwLazyInitializationExceptionIfNotConnected() {
 	}
 
 	private void throwLazyInitializationException(String message) {
+		throwLazyInitializationException( role, message);
+	}
+
+	private static void throwLazyInitializationException(String role, String message) {
 		throw new LazyInitializationException(
 				String.format( "Cannot lazily initialize collection%s (%s)",
 						role == null ? "" : " of role '" + role + "'", message )
 		);
 	}
 
+	public static void checkPersister(PersistentCollection collection, CollectionPersister persister) {
+		if ( !collection.wasInitialized() && persister == null ) {
+			throwLazyInitializationException( null, "collection is being removed" );
+		}
+	}
+
 	protected final void setInitialized() {
 		this.initializing = false;
 		this.initialized = true;
diff --git a/hibernate-core/src/main/java/org/hibernate/event/internal/DefaultInitializeCollectionEventListener.java b/hibernate-core/src/main/java/org/hibernate/event/internal/DefaultInitializeCollectionEventListener.java
index fe012a81719c..f1d2ef160b67 100644
--- a/hibernate-core/src/main/java/org/hibernate/event/internal/DefaultInitializeCollectionEventListener.java
+++ b/hibernate-core/src/main/java/org/hibernate/event/internal/DefaultInitializeCollectionEventListener.java
@@ -17,6 +17,7 @@
 import org.hibernate.sql.results.internal.ResultsHelper;
 import org.hibernate.stat.spi.StatisticsImplementor;
 
+import static org.hibernate.collection.spi.AbstractPersistentCollection.checkPersister;
 import static org.hibernate.loader.internal.CacheLoadHelper.initializeCollectionFromCache;
 import static org.hibernate.pretty.MessageHelper.collectionInfoString;
 
@@ -41,6 +42,7 @@ public void onInitializeCollection(InitializeCollectionEvent event) throws Hiber
 		}
 		if ( !collection.wasInitialized() ) {
 			final CollectionPersister loadedPersister = ce.getLoadedPersister();
+			checkPersister(collection, loadedPersister);
 			final Object loadedKey = ce.getLoadedKey();
 			if ( LOG.isTraceEnabled() ) {
 				LOG.trace( "Initializing collection "
diff --git a/hibernate-core/src/test/java/org/hibernate/orm/test/events/PreDeleteEventListenerTest.java b/hibernate-core/src/test/java/org/hibernate/orm/test/events/PreDeleteEventListenerTest.java
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000..cc13fda72c0e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/hibernate-core/src/test/java/org/hibernate/orm/test/events/PreDeleteEventListenerTest.java
@@ -0,0 +1,82 @@
+/*
+ * SPDX-License-Identifier: Apache-2.0
+ * Copyright Red Hat Inc. and Hibernate Authors
+ */
+package org.hibernate.orm.test.events;
+
+
+import jakarta.persistence.Entity;
+import jakarta.persistence.Id;
+import jakarta.persistence.ManyToMany;
+import org.hibernate.HibernateException;
+import org.hibernate.event.spi.EventType;
+
+import org.hibernate.testing.orm.junit.DomainModel;
+import org.hibernate.testing.orm.junit.Jira;
+import org.hibernate.testing.orm.junit.SessionFactory;
+import org.hibernate.testing.orm.junit.SessionFactoryScope;
+import org.junit.jupiter.api.Test;
+
+import java.util.HashSet;
+import java.util.Set;
+import java.util.UUID;
+
+import static jakarta.persistence.FetchType.LAZY;
+import static org.junit.jupiter.api.Assertions.assertThrows;
+
+/**
+ * @author Felix König
+ * @author Jan Schatteman
+ */
+@DomainModel (
+		annotatedClasses = {
+				PreDeleteEventListenerTest.Parent.class, PreDeleteEventListenerTest.Child.class
+		}
+)
+@SessionFactory
+@Jira( value = "https://hibernate.atlassian.net/browse/HHH-19631" )
+public class PreDeleteEventListenerTest {
+
+	@Test
+	void testAccessUninitializedCollectionInListener(SessionFactoryScope scope) {
+
+		scope.getSessionFactory().getEventListenerRegistry().appendListeners( EventType.PRE_DELETE,
+				event -> {
+					Parent parent = ((Parent) event.getEntity());
+					// dummy access
+					assertThrows( HibernateException.class, () -> parent.getChildren().size() );
+					return false;
+				}, event -> {
+					Parent parent = ((Parent) event.getEntity());
+					// dummy access
+					assertThrows( HibernateException.class, () -> parent.getChildren().contains(new Child()) );
+					return false;
+				} );
+
+		scope.inTransaction( session -> session.persist(new Parent()) );
+
+		scope.inTransaction(session -> {
+			var parent = session.createSelectionQuery("select p from Parent p", Parent.class).getSingleResult();
+			// triggers pre-delete event
+			session.remove(parent);
+			session.flush();
+		});
+	}
+
+	@Entity(name= "Parent")
+	public static class Parent {
+		@Id String id = UUID.randomUUID().toString();
+		@ManyToMany(fetch = LAZY)
+		Set<Child> children = new HashSet<>();
+		public Set<Child> getChildren() {
+			return children;
+		}
+	}
+
+	@Entity(name= "Child")
+	public static class Child {
+		@Id
+		String childId = UUID.randomUUID().toString();
+	}
+
+}