Weird NewsNorth CarolinaWeird Newstime

NC Man Hits 2 Deer With New Car, Then Hits $2 Million In Lottery

“I’m like, ‘Wow!’ It was just crazy,” Anthony Dowe said about the bizarre sequence of events.
AP

LELAND, N.C. (AP) — An unlucky start to a North Carolina man’s day turned upside down when he discovered he won a $2 million lottery prize hours after hitting two deer with his new car.

Anthony Dowe, of Leland, had an accident on his way to work, the North Carolina Education Lottery said in a statement Tuesday. It ruined his day, so he went back home, got into bed and went to sleep.

“Then I woke up and checked my tickets. I checked the fourth ticket and I saw the ‘4’ and then the next number and the next number and the next number,” he said. “I’m like, ‘Wow!’ It was just crazy.”

His winning Mega Millions ticket matched all five white balls. The odds? 1 out of 12.6 million.

Dowe took his ticket to a store and won $1 million. That prize doubled when the 2x Megaplier ticket was drawn.

“I went and showed my dad and my mom and everybody was happy,” he said.

On Monday, he claimed his prize at the lottery headquarters in Raleigh and took home about $1.4 million after taxes.

“It just feels great,” he said. “I’m just gonna fix things on my mother and father’s house and get my car fixed, pay it off, and pay my niece’s car off.”

The rest, he said, will go into savings.

Before You Go

The Accidental Millionaires: 7 Stories Of People Who Stumbled Into Their Lottery Wins
The waiting game [$30 million, 2013](01 of07)
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Nick Takticos, a worker at a Toyota Plant in Cambridge, was a big believer in face-to-face conversation. So when he bought a $30-million winning ticket at the end of August, he didn’t actually claim it until three weeks later! He spent the time approaching his family and loved ones and telling them the good news in person, claiming that he didn’t want them to find out through a news report. Now that’s a young man with a plan if we ever saw one. (credit:Getty)
Additional unexpected revenue [$32.6 million, 2014](02 of07)
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When a group of Canadian Revenue Agency workers (26 in all!) organized by group play captain Philippe Bussière won their $32.6-million office lottery pool, it came as a group surprise to all of them. The individual payout per participant came to around $1.6-million apiece. The group basked in their newfound financial independence and started planning some amazing vacations. (credit:Getty)
The family that plays together [$50 million, 2013](03 of07)
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Lynda Powell is no stranger to playing the lottery; she is a veteran of 25 years! But when her husband John asked her to pick up a ticket for him on her grocery run, it didn't seem like an outrageous request as the family of six regularly played the lottery together. His little request went a long way, as the ticket she purchased that day was a winner! The Peterborough family remain firm that they prefer the little things in life, and are planning to indulge in small trips and splurges along with providing some financial aid to the rest of their extended family! (credit:Getty)
Quick picking winnings [$48 million, 2014](04 of07)
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Tina Ferrone and Liam McGee had never bought a lottery ticket before, but the event planner and construction worker both knew they'd always wanted to open up a yoga studio of their own. Ferrone's random purchase of two quick-pick tickets at a shopping centre dropped a kingly sum of $48 million on the Kanata couple, who have three children. It’s safe to say that they made the right purchase at the mall that day, especially because the winning ticket was the first lottery ticket she ever bought! Next up: It’s time to build that yoga studio! (credit:Getty)
Thrill of the hunt [$15 million, 2013](05 of07)
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When Delmer Hartwig won the $15-million Lotto Max jackpot, instead of immediately claiming the money, he took some time to go elk hunting. In his words, the elk hunt “only comes once a year,” and so he put a giant pile of money on the backburner for a few days to chase his passion. After claiming the money, Hartwig went right back to nature, taking more than a few trips to a bush camp with his friends. Some people change their lifestyles when they come into money, and others keep doing what they love, and this is a clear case of the latter. (credit:Getty)
The perfect Mother’s Day gift [$50 million, 2014](06 of07)
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When she gathered her family together for a Mother’s Day dinner, Sophie Rizavas had a bombshell waiting for them all; that she had just won a $50-million Lotto Max draw (plus $5 for matching the first two numbers of her Encore play). To add some further amazing coincidence to that fact, Rizavas and her husband immigrated to Canada on May 10th, 1970 — and they won the lottery on May 10th, 44 years later. From cleaning lady to multimillionaire — how’s that for a True Canadian story? (credit:Getty)
Good luck and good graces [$50 million, 2014](07 of07)
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Imagine winning a $50-million lottery ticket. Now, imagine losing it. For months. That’s the scenario that Hakeem Nosiru and his wife, Abiola, faced when their newly-won ticket went missing one day. Hakeem had taken steps to prevent this, going so far as to duct tape the ticket on the inside of his wife’s purse. Still, that didn’t stop the ticket from vanishing, prompting a hectic search of the couple’s home, to no avail. Months later, one of their friends from church returned the ticket to them (Hakeem had made sure to write their address on the back of the ticket), and they made quick work to submit it ASAP. Now that’s a story of lost and found! (credit:Getty)
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