A man from Corbin, Kentucky, ran into some bad luck after his car became critically low on gas but his misfortune was short-lived, thanks to a winning purchase at a gas station.
Michael Schlemmer won a $1,000,000 Luck Kentucky Lottery scratch-off game from a ticket he bought May 18 during his fuel stop, he told the Kentucky Lottery.
"I ran out of gas, and I coasted in there," Schlemmer said. "I had $40 bucks on me and bought $20 worth of gas, and bought a ticket."
He scratched the $20 ticket, revealing the automatic symbol to win the game's $1 million top prize, according to the Kentucky Lottery.
He walked back inside the Convenient Food Mart after realizing he'd won, Schlemmer said.
"I showed the girls that sold it to me, and they about had a fit," Schlemmer said. "The owners of the store were there and they both started grinning."
The Convenient Food Mart will receive $8,620 for selling the winning ticket, according to the Kentucky Lottery.
Schlemmer opted to take the game's lump sum of $862,000 rather than receiving $50,000 per year over two decades. He received a check for $616,330 after taxes.
Schlemmer, who had already been shopping for a new car, said he plans to buy a new vehicle while saving the rest of his winnings.
