diff --git a/Ref.h b/Ref.h
index 4e7b6d9aad42f92d64e7db4871837b94e5656108..053353285be2914d04a68d40e17a65bf5651ff6f 100644
--- a/Ref.h
+++ b/Ref.h
@@ -38,7 +38,12 @@ protected:
 };
 
 template <class T>
-Ref<T>::Ref( T * object ) : _object(object) {}
+Ref<T>::Ref( T * object ) : _object(object) {
+   //If object isn't null, increment reference count
+   if ( _object != NULL ) {
+      _object->AddRef();
+   }
+}
 
 template <class T>
 Ref<T>::Ref(const Ref & ref_to_copy ) {
diff --git a/obj/NiNode.cpp b/obj/NiNode.cpp
index 947040a83426830815cdd8a3b99175b4390e2a5d..681e9824c537f29e8b1901443a2b7f5c87374f25 100644
--- a/obj/NiNode.cpp
+++ b/obj/NiNode.cpp
@@ -70,7 +70,7 @@ void NiNode::RemoveChild( Ref<NiAVObject> obj ) {
 
 void NiNode::ClearChildren() {
 	for ( vector< NiAVObjectRef >::iterator it = children.begin(); it != children.end(); ++it) {
-		(*it)->SetParent(NULL);
+      if (*it) (*it)->SetParent(NULL);
 	}
 	children.clear();
 }
diff --git a/obj/NiObject.cpp b/obj/NiObject.cpp
index 2bf16bec2d48b3d4e62fddde32b4a359d6a2fcc0..5a0c4c0cddedef1bb4a1d841a0377e935ac548f9 100644
--- a/obj/NiObject.cpp
+++ b/obj/NiObject.cpp
@@ -33,9 +33,7 @@ void NiObject::AddRef() {
 }
 
 void NiObject::SubtractRef() {
-	--_ref_count;
-
-	if ( _ref_count < 0 ) {
+	if ( --_ref_count == 0 ) {
 		delete this;
 	}
 }
diff --git a/obj/NiObject.h b/obj/NiObject.h
index 104a4603a600c11a062fa74bcca8880cf8c4565f..65599444f7bb50c293f36f75c4bd2ffc3fd4ce5f 100644
--- a/obj/NiObject.h
+++ b/obj/NiObject.h
@@ -151,7 +151,7 @@ template <class T> Ref<T> StaticCast( NiObject * object ) {
 	return (T*)object;
 }
 
-template <class T> const Ref<T> SaticCast (const NiObject * object) {
+template <class T> Ref<const T> StaticCast (const NiObject * object) {
 	return (const T*)object;
 }
 
@@ -163,7 +163,7 @@ template <class T> Ref<T> DynamicCast( NiObject * object ) {
 	}
 }
 
-template <class T> const Ref<T> DynamicCast( const NiObject * object ) {
+template <class T> Ref<const T> DynamicCast( const NiObject * object ) {
 	if ( object->IsDerivedType(T::TYPE) ) {
 		return (const T*)object;
 	} else {