diff --git a/backends/v3/src/radix.rs b/backends/v3/src/radix.rs
index 5a9dcf5f..311c89f3 100644
--- a/backends/v3/src/radix.rs
+++ b/backends/v3/src/radix.rs
@@ -148,8 +148,8 @@ impl RadixTrie {
 
             // The node's prefix and the insertion prefix only match partially,
             // split the node to just contain the matching part. Then insert the
-            // remainder of the prefix into the node again.
-            self.split(child_id, shared_prefix_len);
+            // remainder of the prefix into the node again
+            let child_id = self.split_node(child_id, shared_prefix_len);
             let key = &key[shared_prefix_len..];
             let blocks = &blocks[shared_prefix_len..];
             self.insert_(child_id, key, blocks)
@@ -159,11 +159,28 @@ impl RadixTrie {
         }
     }
 
-    fn split(&mut self, node_id: NodeId, prefix_len: usize) {
+    fn split_node(&mut self, node_id: NodeId, prefix_len: usize) -> NodeId {
+        // We have to make the current node a child to ensure that its
+        // properties and node id stay the same.
+
         let node = self.nodes.get_mut(node_id).unwrap();
-        let rest_key = node.key.split_off(prefix_len);
-        let rest_blocks = node.blocks.split_off(prefix_len);
-        self.add_node(node_id, rest_key, rest_blocks);
+        let mut parent_key = node.key.split_off(prefix_len);
+        let mut parent_blocks = node.blocks.split_off(prefix_len);
+
+        // Move first part of the prefix to the parent.
+        std::mem::swap(&mut node.key, &mut parent_key);
+        std::mem::swap(&mut node.blocks, &mut parent_blocks);
+
+        let node_key = node.key[0];
+
+        let grandparent_id = node.parent.unwrap();
+        let parent_id = self.add_node(grandparent_id, parent_key, parent_blocks);
+        self.add_node_to_parent(parent_id, node_key, node_id);
+
+        let node = self.nodes.get_mut(node_id).unwrap();
+        node.parent = Some(parent_id);
+
+        parent_id
     }
 
     fn add_node(
@@ -171,17 +188,26 @@ impl RadixTrie {
         parent_id: NodeId,
         key: impl Into<Vec<u32>>,
         blocks: impl Into<Vec<u32>>,
-    ) {
+    ) -> NodeId {
         let key = key.into();
         let blocks = blocks.into();
         let first = key[0];
 
         let child = TrieNode::new(key, blocks, self.time, Some(parent_id));
         let child_id = self.nodes.insert(child);
-        let node = self.nodes.get_mut(parent_id).unwrap();
-        node.children.insert(first, child_id);
-        self.incref(parent_id);
+
+        self.add_node_to_parent(parent_id, first, child_id);
         self.leaves.insert((self.time, child_id));
+
+        child_id
+    }
+
+    fn add_node_to_parent(&mut self, parent_id: NodeId, first: u32, child_id: NodeId) {
+        let parent = self.nodes.get_mut(parent_id).unwrap();
+        if !parent.children.insert(first, child_id).is_some() {
+            // Only increase reference count if child does not replace another child.
+            self.incref(parent_id);
+        }
     }
 
     fn remove_node(&mut self, node_id: NodeId) -> TrieNode {
@@ -212,13 +238,15 @@ impl RadixTrie {
     fn print_debug_(&self, node_id: NodeId, indent: usize) {
         let node = &self.nodes[node_id];
         eprintln!(
-            "{}{:?}, key: {:?}, blocks: {:?}, ref_count: {}, last_accessed: {}",
+            "{}{:?}, key: {:?}, blocks: {:?}, ref_count: {}, last_accessed: {}, parent: {:?}, children: {:?}",
             " ".repeat(indent),
             node_id,
             node.key,
             node.blocks,
             node.ref_count,
-            node.last_accessed
+            node.last_accessed,
+            node.parent,
+            node.children
         );
         for child_id in self.nodes[node_id].children.values() {
             self.print_debug_(*child_id, indent + 2);