diff --git a/code/modules/mob/living/carbon/human/update_icons.dm b/code/modules/mob/living/carbon/human/update_icons.dm
index a9ff3a2c025..50270ed3f78 100644
--- a/code/modules/mob/living/carbon/human/update_icons.dm
+++ b/code/modules/mob/living/carbon/human/update_icons.dm
@@ -1269,13 +1269,17 @@ var/global/list/damage_icon_parts = list()
 	if(wear_suit)
 		if(wear_suit.icon_override)
 			var/icon_path = "[wear_suit.icon_override]"
-			icon_path = "[copytext(icon_path, 1, findtext(icon_path, "/suit.dmi"))]/collar.dmi" //If this file doesn't exist, the end result is that COLLAR_LAYER will be unchanged (empty) so there won't be an issue.
-			var/icon/icon_file = new(icon_path)
+			icon_path = "[copytext(icon_path, 1, findtext(icon_path, "/suit.dmi"))]/collar.dmi" //If this file doesn't exist, the end result is that COLLAR_LAYER will be unchanged (empty).
+			var/icon/icon_file
+			if(fexists(icon_path)) //Just ensuring the nonexistance of a file with the above path won't cause a runtime.
+				icon_file = new(icon_path)
 			standing = image("icon" = icon_file, "icon_state" = "[wear_suit.icon_state]")
 		else if(wear_suit.sprite_sheets && wear_suit.sprite_sheets[species.name])
 			var/icon_path = "[wear_suit.sprite_sheets[species.name]]"
-			icon_path = "[copytext(icon_path, 1, findtext(icon_path, "/suit.dmi"))]/collar.dmi" //If this file doesn't exist, the end result is that COLLAR_LAYER will be unchanged (empty) so there won't be an issue.
-			var/icon/icon_file = new(icon_path)
+			icon_path = "[copytext(icon_path, 1, findtext(icon_path, "/suit.dmi"))]/collar.dmi" //If this file doesn't exist, the end result is that COLLAR_LAYER will be unchanged (empty).
+			var/icon/icon_file
+			if(fexists(icon_path)) //Just ensuring the nonexistance of a file with the above path won't cause a runtime.
+				icon_file = new(icon_path)
 			standing = image("icon" = icon_file, "icon_state" = "[wear_suit.icon_state]")
 		else
 			if(wear_suit.icon_state in C.IconStates())