diff --git a/lib/sentry.ex b/lib/sentry.ex
index 7824c5cf..3b5e3d76 100644
--- a/lib/sentry.ex
+++ b/lib/sentry.ex
@@ -155,11 +155,11 @@ defmodule Sentry do
 
   ## Crashing Callbacks
 
-  If a `:before_send`, `:after_send_event`, `:filter`, `:before_send_log`, or
-  `:before_send_metric` callback raises, throws, or exits, Sentry catches the failure and logs
-  it at the `:error` level instead of letting it reach the code that was reporting the event.
-  The log carries the `:sentry` logger domain, so the SDK never reports its own callback
-  failure as an event.
+  If a `:before_send`, `:after_send_event`, `:filter`, `:before_send_log`,
+  `:before_send_metric`, or `:traces_sampler` callback raises, throws, or exits, Sentry catches
+  the failure and logs it at the `:error` level instead of letting it reach the code that was
+  reporting the event. The log carries the `:sentry` logger domain, so the SDK never reports
+  its own callback failure as an event.
 
   The item being handled is then dropped:
 
@@ -178,6 +178,12 @@ defmodule Sentry do
   return value is ignored, so a crash there changes nothing the caller sees: the send
   result is still the one the transport produced.
 
+  A `:traces_sampler` callback that crashes does not drop the trace outright. Sampling
+  falls back to the configured `:traces_sample_rate`, so the trace is kept or dropped at
+  the rate you configured. If `:traces_sample_rate` is not configured either, the trace is
+  dropped and the child spans of that trace inherit that decision instead of calling the
+  failing sampler again.
+
   ## Reporting Source Code
 
   Sentry supports reporting the source code of (and around) the line that
diff --git a/lib/sentry/callback.ex b/lib/sentry/callback.ex
index 5b264ef2..76b8f3d7 100644
--- a/lib/sentry/callback.ex
+++ b/lib/sentry/callback.ex
@@ -47,6 +47,23 @@ defmodule Sentry.Callback do
     end
   end
 
+  @spec validate(atom(), value, (value -> as_boolean(term())), String.t()) ::
+          {:ok, value} | :invalid
+        when value: var
+  def validate(name, value, validator, expected)
+      when is_atom(name) and is_function(validator, 1) and is_binary(expected) do
+    if validator.(value) do
+      {:ok, value}
+    else
+      LoggerUtils.warning(
+        "#{inspect(name)} callback returned an invalid value: " <>
+          "expected #{expected}, got: #{inspect(value)}"
+      )
+
+      :invalid
+    end
+  end
+
   defp record_discard(nil), do: :ok
 
   defp record_discard({reason, event_or_data_category}) do
diff --git a/lib/sentry/config.ex b/lib/sentry/config.ex
index 88201b23..1ad5bee1 100644
--- a/lib/sentry/config.ex
+++ b/lib/sentry/config.ex
@@ -326,6 +326,15 @@ defmodule Sentry.Config do
 
       If both `:traces_sampler` and `:traces_sample_rate` are configured, `:traces_sampler` takes precedence.
 
+      If the callback crashes, the failure is logged at the `:error` level and sampling falls back
+      to `:traces_sample_rate`. When `:traces_sample_rate` is not configured either, the trace is
+      dropped and its child spans inherit that decision. See the
+      [*Crashing Callbacks*](#module-crashing-callbacks) section below for more information.
+
+      If the callback returns successfully but the returned value is not a boolean or a float
+      between `0.0` and `1.0`, the invalid sample rate is logged at the `:warning` level and the
+      trace is dropped.
+
       Example:
       ```elixir
       traces_sampler: fn sampling_context ->
diff --git a/lib/sentry/opentelemetry/sampler.ex b/lib/sentry/opentelemetry/sampler.ex
index 4cc9c24a..161c82ee 100644
--- a/lib/sentry/opentelemetry/sampler.ex
+++ b/lib/sentry/opentelemetry/sampler.ex
@@ -3,11 +3,10 @@ if Sentry.OpenTelemetry.VersionChecker.tracing_compatible?() do
     @moduledoc false
 
     alias OpenTelemetry.{Span, Tracer}
+    alias Sentry.Callback
     alias Sentry.ClientReport
     alias SamplingContext
 
-    alias Sentry.LoggerUtils
-
     @behaviour :otel_sampler
 
     @sentry_sample_rate_key "sentry-sample_rate"
@@ -34,9 +33,9 @@ if Sentry.OpenTelemetry.VersionChecker.tracing_compatible?() do
           attributes,
           config
         ) do
-      result =
+      {result, discard_reason} =
         if config[:drop] && span_name in config[:drop] do
-          {:drop, [], []}
+          {{:drop, [], []}, :sample_rate}
         else
           traces_sampler = Sentry.Config.traces_sampler()
           traces_sample_rate = Sentry.Config.traces_sample_rate()
@@ -44,23 +43,23 @@ if Sentry.OpenTelemetry.VersionChecker.tracing_compatible?() do
           case get_trace_sampling_decision(ctx) do
             {:inherit, trace_sampled, tracestate} ->
               decision = if trace_sampled, do: :record_and_sample, else: :drop
-              {decision, [], tracestate}
+              {{decision, [], tracestate}, :sample_rate}
 
             :no_trace ->
               if traces_sampler do
                 sampling_context =
                   build_sampling_context(nil, span_name, span_kind, attributes, trace_id)
 
-                make_sampler_decision(traces_sampler, sampling_context)
+                make_sampler_decision(traces_sampler, sampling_context, traces_sample_rate)
               else
-                make_sampling_decision(traces_sample_rate)
+                {make_sampling_decision(traces_sample_rate), :sample_rate}
               end
           end
         end
 
       case result do
         {:drop, _, _} ->
-          record_discarded_transaction()
+          record_discarded_transaction(discard_reason)
           result
 
         _ ->
@@ -147,48 +146,53 @@ if Sentry.OpenTelemetry.VersionChecker.tracing_compatible?() do
       sampling_context
     end
 
-    defp make_sampler_decision(traces_sampler, sampling_context) do
-      try do
-        result = call_traces_sampler(traces_sampler, sampling_context)
-        sample_rate = normalize_sampler_result(result)
-
-        if is_float(sample_rate) and sample_rate >= 0.0 and sample_rate <= 1.0 do
-          make_sampling_decision(sample_rate)
-        else
-          LoggerUtils.warning(
-            "traces_sampler function returned an invalid sample rate: #{inspect(sample_rate)}"
-          )
-
-          make_sampling_decision(0.0)
-        end
-      rescue
-        error ->
-          LoggerUtils.warning("traces_sampler function failed: #{inspect(error)}")
-
-          make_sampling_decision(0.0)
+    defp make_sampler_decision(traces_sampler, sampling_context, fallback_sample_rate) do
+      invocation = Callback.to_fun(:traces_sampler, traces_sampler, [sampling_context])
+
+      case Callback.run(:traces_sampler, invocation) do
+        {:ok, result} ->
+          sample_rate =
+            case Callback.validate(
+                   :traces_sampler,
+                   normalize_sampler_result(result),
+                   &valid_sample_rate?/1,
+                   "a boolean or a float between 0.0 and 1.0"
+                 ) do
+              {:ok, sample_rate} -> sample_rate
+              :invalid -> 0.0
+            end
+
+          {make_sampling_decision(sample_rate), :sample_rate}
+
+        :failed ->
+          make_fallback_decision(fallback_sample_rate)
       end
     end
 
-    defp call_traces_sampler(fun, sampling_context) when is_function(fun, 1) do
-      fun.(sampling_context)
+    defp valid_sample_rate?(sample_rate) do
+      is_float(sample_rate) and sample_rate >= 0.0 and sample_rate <= 1.0
+    end
+
+    defp make_fallback_decision(nil) do
+      {{:drop, [], [{@sentry_sampled_key, "false"}]}, :callback_error}
     end
 
-    defp call_traces_sampler({module, function}, sampling_context) do
-      apply(module, function, [sampling_context])
+    defp make_fallback_decision(fallback_sample_rate) do
+      {make_sampling_decision(fallback_sample_rate), :sample_rate}
     end
 
     defp normalize_sampler_result(true), do: 1.0
     defp normalize_sampler_result(false), do: 0.0
     defp normalize_sampler_result(rate), do: rate
 
-    defp record_discarded_transaction() do
-      ClientReport.Sender.record_discarded_events(:sample_rate, "transaction")
+    defp record_discarded_transaction(reason) do
+      ClientReport.Sender.record_discarded_events(reason, "transaction")
 
       # A dropped transaction also drops its spans. The sampling decision happens
       # before any child spans are recorded, so only the transaction itself is
       # extracted as a span (0 spans + 1).
       # https://develop.sentry.dev/sdk/telemetry/client-reports/#span-outcomes
-      ClientReport.Sender.record_discarded_events(:sample_rate, "span")
+      ClientReport.Sender.record_discarded_events(reason, "span")
     end
   end
 end
diff --git a/test/sentry/opentelemetry/sampler_test.exs b/test/sentry/opentelemetry/sampler_test.exs
index 4bf87205..af7f1879 100644
--- a/test/sentry/opentelemetry/sampler_test.exs
+++ b/test/sentry/opentelemetry/sampler_test.exs
@@ -452,8 +452,8 @@ defmodule Sentry.Opentelemetry.SamplerTest do
       Agent.stop(sampler_call_count)
     end
 
-    test "handles traces_sampler errors gracefully" do
-      put_test_config(traces_sampler: fn _ -> raise "sampler error" end)
+    test "drops the trace when traces_sampler raises and no sample rate is configured" do
+      put_test_config(traces_sample_rate: nil, traces_sampler: fn _ -> raise "sampler error" end)
 
       test_ctx = create_test_span_context()
 
@@ -463,9 +463,119 @@ defmodule Sentry.Opentelemetry.SamplerTest do
                    Sampler.should_sample(test_ctx, 123, nil, "test span", nil, %{}, drop: [])
         end)
 
-      assert log =~ "traces_sampler function failed"
+      assert log =~ ~r/domain=(\w+\.)*sentry \[error\]\s+:traces_sampler callback failed/
       assert log =~ "sampler error"
-      assert log =~ ~r/domain=(\w+\.)*sentry/
+    end
+
+    test "child spans inherit the drop when traces_sampler fails and no sample rate is configured" do
+      {:ok, sampler_call_count} = Agent.start_link(fn -> 0 end)
+
+      sampler_fun = fn _sampling_context ->
+        Agent.update(sampler_call_count, &(&1 + 1))
+        raise "sampler error"
+      end
+
+      put_test_config(traces_sample_rate: nil, traces_sampler: sampler_fun)
+
+      capture_log(fn ->
+        assert {:drop, [], tracestate} =
+                 Sampler.should_sample(
+                   create_test_span_context(),
+                   123,
+                   nil,
+                   "root span",
+                   nil,
+                   %{},
+                   drop: []
+                 )
+
+        assert {"sentry-sampled", "false"} in tracestate
+
+        existing_span_ctx = create_span_context_with_tracestate(123, tracestate)
+        ctx_with_span = :otel_tracer.set_current_span(:otel_ctx.new(), existing_span_ctx)
+        token = :otel_ctx.attach(ctx_with_span)
+
+        try do
+          assert {:drop, [], ^tracestate} =
+                   Sampler.should_sample(ctx_with_span, 123, nil, "child span", nil, %{},
+                     drop: []
+                   )
+        after
+          :otel_ctx.detach(token)
+        end
+      end)
+
+      assert Agent.get(sampler_call_count, & &1) == 1
+
+      Agent.stop(sampler_call_count)
+    end
+
+    test "counts a drop caused by a failing traces_sampler as a callback error",
+         %{client_report_sender: sender} do
+      put_test_config(traces_sample_rate: nil, traces_sampler: fn _ -> raise "sampler error" end)
+
+      capture_log(fn ->
+        assert {:drop, [], _tracestate} =
+                 Sampler.should_sample(
+                   create_test_span_context(),
+                   123,
+                   nil,
+                   "test span",
+                   nil,
+                   %{},
+                   drop: []
+                 )
+      end)
+
+      assert :sys.get_state(sender) ==
+               %{{:callback_error, "transaction"} => 1, {:callback_error, "span"} => 1}
+    end
+
+    test "counts a drop produced by the fallback sample rate as a sampling drop",
+         %{client_report_sender: sender} do
+      put_test_config(traces_sample_rate: 0.0, traces_sampler: fn _ -> raise "sampler error" end)
+
+      capture_log(fn ->
+        assert {:drop, [], _tracestate} =
+                 Sampler.should_sample(
+                   create_test_span_context(),
+                   123,
+                   nil,
+                   "test span",
+                   nil,
+                   %{},
+                   drop: []
+                 )
+      end)
+
+      assert :sys.get_state(sender) ==
+               %{{:sample_rate, "transaction"} => 1, {:sample_rate, "span"} => 1}
+    end
+
+    test "falls back to the configured sample rate when traces_sampler throws" do
+      put_test_config(traces_sample_rate: 1.0, traces_sampler: fn _ -> throw(:boom) end)
+
+      test_ctx = create_test_span_context()
+
+      capture_log(fn ->
+        assert {:record_and_sample, [], tracestate} =
+                 Sampler.should_sample(test_ctx, 123, nil, "test span", nil, %{}, drop: [])
+
+        assert {"sentry-sampled", "true"} in tracestate
+      end)
+    end
+
+    test "falls back to the configured sample rate when traces_sampler exits" do
+      put_test_config(traces_sample_rate: 1.0, traces_sampler: fn _ -> exit(:boom) end)
+
+      test_ctx = create_test_span_context()
+
+      capture_log(fn ->
+        assert {:record_and_sample, [], tracestate} =
+                 Sampler.should_sample(test_ctx, 123, nil, "test span", nil, %{}, drop: [])
+
+        assert {"sentry-sampled", "true"} in tracestate
+      end)
     end
 
     test "handles invalid traces_sampler return values gracefully" do
@@ -495,7 +605,7 @@ defmodule Sentry.Opentelemetry.SamplerTest do
           end)
         end)
 
-      assert log =~ "traces_sampler function returned an invalid sample rate"
+      assert log =~ ":traces_sampler callback returned an invalid value"
       assert log =~ ~r/domain=(\w+\.)*sentry/
     end