diff --git a/validator/residue_index.py b/validator/residue_index.py
index 0774810..55b343c 100644
--- a/validator/residue_index.py
+++ b/validator/residue_index.py
@@ -69,8 +69,15 @@ class ResidueIndexes(object):
         """
         chain_id = chain_data["chain_label"]
         url = "%s%s/chain/%s" % (self.api_url, self.pdb_id, chain_id)
-        response = requests.get(url)
-        residue_numbering = json.loads(response.text)
+        try:
+            response = requests.get(url)
+        except:
+            return False
+        try:
+            residue_numbering = json.loads(response.text)
+        except:
+            print("Failed to load residues from PDBe API")
+            return False
         if not residue_numbering.keys():
             self.mismatches.append("No residues in PDB for this entry - probably obsoleted entry")
             return False
diff --git a/validator/validator.py b/validator/validator.py
index 326e7e3..691eae7 100644
--- a/validator/validator.py
+++ b/validator/validator.py
@@ -87,8 +87,8 @@ class Validator(object):
             with open(path, "r") as json_file:
                 try:
                     return json.load(json_file)
-                except json.decoder.JSONDecodeError as err:
-                    self.error_log = "JSON error: %s" % err
+                except:
+                    self.error_log = "JSON error: %s" % path
                     return None
         except IOError as ioerr:
             self.error_log = "File error: %s" % ioerr