Michael Schlemmer, Kentucky man wins $1M lottery scratch jackpot at gas station after running out of fuel and buying $20 winning ticket.
‘I’m still in disbelief!’ A Kentucky driver who ran out of fuel has told of winning a $1 million lottery ticket when he stopped at a gas station to refuel.
Michael Schlemmer explained to lottery officials he needed to make a pit stop at Convenient Food Mart along US Highway 25 when he was on his last gallon of gas.
‘I ran out of gas, and I coasted in there,’ the ‘fortunate’ man recalled.
With $40 in cash in his pocket, he spent $20 on gas and then bought a ticket with the rest.
‘I scratched it off and I looked at it and went back in the store,’ he said. ‘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.’
Schlemmer’s scratch-off had the automatic symbol that indicates winning the top prize of $1 million.
Michael Schlemmer plans to buy a newer vehicle and put the rest of the winnings in the bank. https://t.co/NVW1TMWene
— WHAS11 News (@WHAS11) May 23, 2023
Got his eyes on a new automobile
The Kentucky resident was still in disbelief until he got the check in his hand last Thursday.
He drove to the lottery headquarters and took home a check for $616,300 after taxes. He opted for the $862,000 lump sum payment instead of the annuity payments, lotto officials said.
Schlemmer already had his eye on a new automobile before running into the windfall. Now, he’ll use his newfound wealth for the new car and put the rest in savings, he said according to WHAS11.
‘I told the dealership I’m waiting for a big check to come in and then I hit that,‘ he said.
The market where the prize was sold will also get $8,620 for selling the winning ticket.
