The Mississippi Legislature is working on a potential new law, dubbed the Dakota Law, in honor of 24-year-old Dakota Johnson of Columbia, who died June 4 when a 55-foot high mobile oil well tower fell over during a storm with high winds in Simpson County.
Dakota, who worked as a derrickman for Challenger Deepwell Servicing, was attached to the tower by safety gear, according to Simpson County Coroner Terry Tutor. The work site was located at Mississippi 28 and Mangum Garner Road.
The Dakota Law, sponsored by Sen. Joey Fillingane, R-Sumrall, would require oil wells to use permanent tie downs in the ground instead of securing them by only burying them in the dirt. Each of the surrounding states already have a similar law in place to prevent accidents like the one that killed Dakota.
Dakota’s family said the lack of transparency about what happened, along with the delay of informing his family when he died, has been extremely frustrating.
Dakota, who attended Pine Burr Christian Academy and East Marion, was loved by all who knew him and had so much still ahead of him.
“Dakota was a good guy. He was 24 years old, had his whole life ahead of him and had it planned out,” Russell Delancey, Dakota’s uncle, said. “He loved family.”
Dakota got engaged to his girlfriend, Kaitlyn Culpepper, on Feb. 26, and the couple was going to celebrate their pending nuptials June 15 with an engagement party, less than a week after his funeral took place. The couple had not set a date yet, but they were planning to get married later this year.
Russell Delancey said Dakota was planning on quitting the oilfield in a month to get into production offshore with his stepfather, Dewey Stringer, when the accident happened.
“He knew it was dangerous,” Dakota’s aunt, Ann Delancey, added, “so he was trying to get out of it.”
Dakota’s family described a selfless man with a big heart who was ready to start the next phase of his life before it was devastatingly cut short.
“He was the life of every party,” Danielle Johnson, Dakota’s stepmom, said. “He worked so hard. He worked straight through with the flu and Covid and never took a day off.”
“He was the most respectable person you’ll ever meet,” Ann Delancey added.
“He loved his family,” Sherry Johnson Dennis, Dakota’s grandmother, said.
“If we ever needed anything, he would give us the shirt off his back. He would do without to make sure we were fed, so to say,” Danielle Johnson said.
“He was an awesome guy,” Russell Delancey said. “He was a good kid. Uncles aren’t supposed to go to nephews’ funerals.”
Those sentiments were clear during Dakota’s funeral, according to his family, as there were so many people there to say goodbye that it was standing room only and the wake was shoulder to shoulder.
There is a GoFundMe set up for Dakota’s family to pay the remainder of his bills.
Dakota died with his working boots on.
