Truck driver wins big lottery prize — but he doesn’t realize it for 1,700 miles
A Texas truck driver made a pit stop in Maryland, leading to his second Powerball win in just a few weeks, lottery officials said.
The San Benito resident bought snacks and two Powerball tickets for the July 15 drawing, using an assortment of family birthdays and random numbers, according to an Aug. 7 news release from the Maryland Lottery.
Three days later, the man said he decided to check his numbers.
“I saw my matching numbers and knew it was something, but wasn’t sure how much,” he told lottery officials.
The married father of three, who was back on the road, called his son to help him verify his win, lottery officials said.
“Dad, you almost won the jackpot,” the man’s son said, before revealing he’d still won $50,000 by matching four balls and the red Powerball, according to lottery officials.
The winner told lottery officials that he seemed to be on a lucky streak, having matched four numbers on a Powerball ticket just a few weeks prior.
The winner got his whole family on a group call to share the happy news, lottery officials said.
Because Powerball rules require a winning ticket to be cashed in the state where it was purchased, the man faced a dilemma about how to claim his prize more than 1,700 miles away, according to lottery officials.
The driver explained the situation to his managers, who arranged a route that would take him back through Maryland, according to lottery officials.
His wife was able to join the journey that ended at the Winner’s Circle in Baltimore, telling lottery officials that the family is “so excited for him,” according to the release.
The driver bought his ticket at a Pilot Travel Center in Hagerstown.
Hagerstown is about a 70-mile drive northwest from Washington, D.C.
