PHOTO – Man Wins $1M Lottery After Running Out of Gas, Coasting into Station: ‘Congratulations to Him!’

A man from Corbin, Kentucky, is ecstatic after winning $1 million with a lottery ticket he bought on a whim.

Michael Schlemmer decided to buy a $20 “$1,000,000 Luck Kentucky Lottery Scratch-Off”  when he drove into the Convenient Food Mart on U.S. Highway 25 West, Fox Business reported Thursday.

Prior to the big win, the situation appeared to be anything but exciting, because he was in desperate need of fuel, according to a May 18 press release from the Kentucky Lottery.

“I ran out of gas, and I coasted in there,” Schlemmer recalled, adding he had $40 and bought $20 worth of gas before deciding to purchase the ticket. That is when things became interesting.

“I scratched it off and I looked at it and went back in the store. I showed the girls that sold it to me, and they about had a fit. The owners of the store were there, and they both started grinning,” he said.

He soon realized he had revealed the symbol that shows the buyer won the game’s $1,000,000 top prize. Some people might go crazy knowing they have won so much money, but Schlemmer remained calm.

“Nothing went through my mind. I just got up and went back in the store and showed it to them.  Until I get the check in my hand, I don’t believe it,” he said.

He later traveled to the lottery’s headquarters and was presented with a check for $616,330, the amount after taxes, as he had decided to take the lump sum cash payment of $862,000.

A photo shows the big winner holding the giant check, and social media users were quick to share their joy regarding his good fortune:

Michael from Corbin won the top prize on a $20 Scratch-off ticket! He said that his car ran out of gas and he had to "coast" into the gas station where the winning ticket was purchased! Join us in congratulating Michael on this WINNER WEDNESDAY! https://t.co/qvBagpDLU5 pic.twitter.com/mBBcSIZQSY

— Kentucky Lottery (@kylottery) May 24, 2023

“He doesn’t have to worry about running low on gas anymore! Congratulations to him!” one person wrote, while another replied, “His face says ‘get me outta here now and to the Bank.”

Schlemmer has been hunting for another car and plans to buy one soon while holding onto the rest of his winnings, saying “I told the dealership I’m waiting for a big check to come in and then I hit that.”

Meanwhile, a California woman who used to be homeless recently won $5 million thanks to a scratch-off lottery ticket, Breitbart News reported May 4.

“Six years ago, I was homeless. This year I am getting married, getting my associate degree, and won $5 million,” explained.