diff --git a/src/main/java/edu/hm/hafner/coverage/CoverageParser.java b/src/main/java/edu/hm/hafner/coverage/CoverageParser.java
index d39ffc9b..db2122a1 100644
--- a/src/main/java/edu/hm/hafner/coverage/CoverageParser.java
+++ b/src/main/java/edu/hm/hafner/coverage/CoverageParser.java
@@ -18,9 +18,47 @@
  * @author Ullrich Hafner
  */
 public abstract class CoverageParser implements Serializable {
+    /**
+     * Defines how to handle fatal errors during parsing.
+     */
+    public enum ProcessingMode {
+        /** All fatal errors will be ignored and logged. */
+        IGNORE_ERRORS,
+        /** An exception will be thrown if a fatal error is detected. */
+        FAIL_FAST
+    }
+
     private static final long serialVersionUID = 3941742254762282096L;
     private transient TreeStringBuilder treeStringBuilder = new TreeStringBuilder();
 
+    private final ProcessingMode processingMode; // since 0.26.0
+
+    /**
+     * Creates a new instance of {@link CoverageParser}.
+     *
+     * @param processingMode
+     *         determines whether to ignore errors
+     */
+    protected CoverageParser(final ProcessingMode processingMode) {
+        this.processingMode = processingMode;
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * Creates a new instance of {@link CoverageParser} that will fail on all errors.
+     */
+    protected CoverageParser() {
+        this(ProcessingMode.FAIL_FAST);
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * Returns whether to ignore errors or to fail fast.
+     *
+     * @return true if errors should be ignored, false if an exception should be thrown on errors
+     */
+    protected boolean ignoreErrors() {
+        return processingMode == ProcessingMode.IGNORE_ERRORS;
+    }
+
     /**
      * Parses a report provided by the given reader.
      *
diff --git a/src/main/java/edu/hm/hafner/coverage/parser/CoberturaParser.java b/src/main/java/edu/hm/hafner/coverage/parser/CoberturaParser.java
index efb6752f..d2452d81 100644
--- a/src/main/java/edu/hm/hafner/coverage/parser/CoberturaParser.java
+++ b/src/main/java/edu/hm/hafner/coverage/parser/CoberturaParser.java
@@ -63,25 +63,21 @@ public class CoberturaParser extends CoverageParser {
     private static final QName BRANCH = new QName("branch");
     private static final QName CONDITION_COVERAGE = new QName("condition-coverage");
 
-    private final boolean ignoreErrors; // since 0.26.0
-
     /**
      * Creates a new instance of {@link CoberturaParser}.
      */
     public CoberturaParser() {
-        this(false);
+        this(ProcessingMode.FAIL_FAST);
     }
 
     /**
      * Creates a new instance of {@link CoberturaParser}.
      *
-     * @param ignoreErrors
+     * @param processingMode
      *         determines whether to ignore errors
      */
-    public CoberturaParser(final boolean ignoreErrors) {
-        super();
-
-        this.ignoreErrors = ignoreErrors;
+    public CoberturaParser(final ProcessingMode processingMode) {
+        super(processingMode);
     }
 
     @Override
@@ -182,7 +178,7 @@ private Node readClassOrMethod(final XMLEventReader reader, final FileNode fileN
                 }
                 else if (METHOD.equals(nextElement.getName())) {
                     Node methodNode = readClassOrMethod(reader, fileNode, nextElement, log);
-                    if (node.hasChild(methodNode.getName()) && ignoreErrors) {
+                    if (node.hasChild(methodNode.getName()) && ignoreErrors()) {
                         log.logError("Skipping duplicate method '%s' for class '%s'", node.getName(), methodNode.getName());
                     }
                     else {
diff --git a/src/test/java/edu/hm/hafner/coverage/parser/CoberturaParserTest.java b/src/test/java/edu/hm/hafner/coverage/parser/CoberturaParserTest.java
index 70b31056..26ac1a08 100644
--- a/src/test/java/edu/hm/hafner/coverage/parser/CoberturaParserTest.java
+++ b/src/test/java/edu/hm/hafner/coverage/parser/CoberturaParserTest.java
@@ -7,6 +7,7 @@
 
 import edu.hm.hafner.coverage.Coverage;
 import edu.hm.hafner.coverage.Coverage.CoverageBuilder;
+import edu.hm.hafner.coverage.CoverageParser.ProcessingMode;
 import edu.hm.hafner.coverage.CyclomaticComplexity;
 import edu.hm.hafner.coverage.FileNode;
 import edu.hm.hafner.coverage.FractionValue;
@@ -46,7 +47,8 @@ private void verifyBranchCoverageOfLine61(final Node duplicateMethods) {
 
     @Test
     void shouldIgnoreDuplicateMethods() {
-        Node duplicateMethods = readReport("cobertura-duplicate-methods.xml", new CoberturaParser(true));
+        Node duplicateMethods = readReport("cobertura-duplicate-methods.xml",
+                new CoberturaParser(ProcessingMode.IGNORE_ERRORS));
 
         verifySmallTree(duplicateMethods);
         assertThat(getLog().hasErrors()).isTrue();