Inland Empire, California –A man, whose identification is being held back by authorities pending notification of next of kin, was certified by California State Lotto officials as the holder of the winning ticket of the $640 million dollar jackpot.
“We found the winning ticket in his front outer breast coat pocket,” said the emergency medical technician (EMT) that responded to the 911 call. "He must have tucked it back in moments before he died."
The man had just purchased the winning ticket at the local liquor store. And after watching the results of the lotto on the monitor with others in the liquor store, he realized he was the winner of more than half a billion-dollars.
“He called the State Lottery officials on his cell phone right on the spot,” said the liquor store manager, who sold the winning ticket.
Due to the unusually large amount of the jackpot, State Lottery officials confirmed to the man that he was the winner, advising him to sign the back of the ticket, photocopy it and to put it in a safe place.
“We were all so happy for him,” continued the liquor store manager. “And were wishing we could all be him.”
That was until the lottery ticket winner drove way.
Literally moments after waving the winning ticket in the air and carefully tucking it into his breast pocket and getting into his car, the Mega Millions Lotto winner pulled out of the liquor store parking lot just to get hit by a truck as he attempted to merge with traffic.
“We all thought he was dead,” said the liquor store manager.
Remarkably, the lotto winner emerged from the smoldering wreckage of his car unscathed.
“We all cheered when he saw he was still alive,” said a fellow lottery player from the liquor store that rushed out with others to help the lucky ticket holder.
Unfortunately, as the lotto winner pulled out his jackpot ticket from his breast pocket, kissing it and then waving it in the air above his head, he was struck to death by lightning twice by a passing freak storm cell.
“Well, I guess it just wasn’t meant to be,” said the liquor store manager as he hung a sign claming credit for the place where the biggest winning ticket was sold. All the while his employees sweep the parking lot clear of the broken glass and ashes of the former Mega Millions lottery winner.
Copyright © 2008-2012 by Robert W. Armijo. All rights reserved.
