Truck driver wins $1m Mega Millions prize but nearly forfeits cash on accident

A LUCKY lottery player has won a life-changing sum but almost lost it all without knowing it.

The Maryland truck driver had scored $1 million from the Mega Millions lottery game but almost drove away from his cash prize.

2

The player from Anne Arundel County in Maryland nearly missed out on his $1 million prize twice, he shared with lottery officials.

The lucky player purchases lottery tickets once per week, playing different games each time.

He reliably plays Mega Millions and hit a stroke of luck when the October 15 drawing rolled around last fall.

The Maryland resident had won the second-tier prize of $1 million by matching the five white ball numbers.

He nearly missed the top jackpot prize, which requires players to match the gold Mega Ball in addition to the five white balls.

Although he didn’t snatch the jackpot win, the player did manage to beat the low winning odds of one in nearly 13 million for the second-place prize.

The Maryland winner, however, nearly walked away from his $1 million.

CLOSE CALL

The night before the truck driver purchases his new lottery tickets, he checks the ones he has “very carefully,” he told Maryland lottery officials.

However, his meticulous process was interrupted during the week of his big win.

“While I was comparing my tickets to the winning numbers, I had to stop to take care of something in the house,” explained the winner.

When he resumed checking his tickets, the player was sure he had picked up where he’d left off – but he had overlooked his Mega Millions win by mistake.

The next morning, the Maryland truck driver told a family member his tickets were duds as he was dropping her off at work.

He shared that he was about to throw out the tickets when the family member offered to scan them on her lottery app to double-check.

She first checked his $2 quick-pick Mega Millions ticket and was shocked to see it was in fact a winner.

She quickly chased after the player’s car, waving her arms, just as it pulled away.

“I thought something was wrong when I saw her in the rearview mirror. When she got to the door, though, I knew it was good news. She had such a smile,” beamed the lottery winner.

Top lottery winners in the US

Millions dream of winning the lottery and finding fame and fortune. These are the biggest winners in US lottery history.

• Edwin Castro – $2.04 billion, Powerball, Nov. 8, 2022, in California.
• Theodorus Struyck – $1.765 billion, Powerball, Oct. 11, 2023, in California.
• Unknown winner – $1.602 billion, Mega Millions, Aug. 8, 2023, in Florida.
• Marvin and Mae Acosta from Los Angeles, California, John and Lisa Robinson from Munford, Tennessee, and Maureen Smith and David Kaltschmidt from Melbourne Beach, Florida – $1.586 billion, Powerball, Jan. 13, 2016.
• Unknown winner – $1.537 billion, Mega Millions, Oct. 23, 2018, from South Carolina.
• Unknown winner – he sued the mother of his child to keep his identity hidden – $1.348 billion, Mega Millions, Jan. 13, 2023, from Maine.
• Unknown winner – $1.337 billion, Mega Millions, July 29, 2022, from Illinois.
• Cheng and Duanpen Saephan, and Laiza Liem Chao – $1.326 billion, Powerball, April 7, 2024, from Oregon.
• Yanira Alvarez – $1.08 billion Powerball, July 19, 2023 in California.
• Wolverine FLL Lottery Club – $1.05 billion, Mega Millions, Jan. 22, 2021, from Michigan.
• Unknown winner – $842.4 million Powerball, Jan. 1, 2024, from Michigan.

With his newfound fortune, he plans on purchasing a new home and car, both needed by his family.

The lucky $1 million ticket was bought at Check Cash Depot at 8 16th Avenue in Brooklyn, Maryland – around six miles from Baltimore.

It was the third $1 million winning Mega Millions ticket sold in Maryland in 2024.

As the Maryland player’s experience makes quite clear, it’s important to double and triple-check your lottery tickets.

Billions of dollars in lottery prizes go unclaimed each year due to lost tickets or overlooked numbers.

That means you could be a lottery winner but not know it yet.

Check your tickets for an unclaimed $1 million Mega Millions prize – the ticket was sold at a gas station.

Yet another $1 million Mega Millions prize remains unclaimed, and the ticket was bought at a popular supermarket.