( CNN ) -- You are told -- twice -- that your son has died , once by a state trooper and then again by a local police officer . What do you do ? Express thanks , and perhaps frustration , that it 's not true . An Alaska family rode this emotional roller coaster earlier this week . And on Friday , Justin Priest -- the man whose parents believed had died -- said his family is `` very private , '' but hopes some good comes from getting the story out so no one else has to endure a similar nightmare ride . `` We wanted to put a little pressure on the police department to make sure this sort of thing does n't happen again , '' Priest said . `` And I think we achieved our goal . '' It is true that Justin D. Priest was pronounced dead at the scene late Wednesday after the car he was driving slammed into a tree in Juneau , police announced in a news release . Two other passengers in his vehicle were injured , including one `` with apparent life-threatening injuries . '' When something horrible like this happens , law enforcement officers have the unenviable job of notifying next of kin . So , Juneau police reached out to the Alaska State Troopers , trying to get information on a Justin Priest from his parents in Palmer to determine if their son was in Juneau at the time of the accident . `` Instead , ... the communication got mixed up , '' Juneau Police Chief Bryce Johnson said . `` We somehow communicated it wrong , and they thought that we wanted to tell the family that their son had died in the crash . '' That 's what troopers did , going to the Priest home in Palmer before dawn to relay the horrific news . Then , Priest 's father called Juneau police to verify it was his son who died in the accident . A Juneau officer said it was . But a different Justin Priest had died , one who was 33 , as police noted in their press release , and from Juneau . The Justin Priest whose parents were contacted is 29 , according to the Alaska Dispatch News , and from south Anchorage , about 570 miles away by air or boat and 850 miles by car from Juneau . The parents of the 29-year-old thought their son was dead when they went to his house early Thursday morning . They knocked on the door . And guess who answered , according to the Dispatch News ? Their son Justin , alive and well . `` Justin ? '' his father asked , the news website reported . `` It 's Justin ! Praise Jesus , we thought you were dead . '' The mixup got back to Juneau later Thursday . Police there issued an updated press release , apologizing `` for our error '' and `` for any anguish our mistake has caused . '' Johnson , Juneau 's police chief , talked directly to the living Justin Priest 's father by phone . `` He told me what they went through , and I was left speechless , '' said a choked up Johnson . `` From my perspective , after hearing all that they did , I was talking to a great man . I was left with an immense amount of respect for him . '' After this incident , Johnson said Juneau police would review its dispatch recordings , talk to officers about following procedures , and possibly change protocols if it makes sense . What the police chief is not doing is shirking blame for what happened . `` It was our case , our responsibility , '' Johnson said . `` ... The family deserves for us to acknowledge that it was our mistake , and we are sorry . ''
A young man is killed in a car crash late Wednesday in Juneau , Alaska . State troopers , then Juneau police tell Justin Priest 's parents he 's dead . News site : The parents go to their son 's house , and he opens the door . Juneau police chief : `` It was our mistake , and we are sorry ''