A Michigan man celebrating a $328,439 lottery jackpot said disaster was narrowly averted when his ticket nearly flew out of his open car window.
The Michigan Lottery said the 49-year-old Kent County man was on a road trip with his wife when he bought his ticket for April 8 Fantasy 5 drawing at the Beacon and Bridge Market in Fife Lake.
"My wife and I were taking a trip up north and stopped at the store to get something to drink on our way," the player said. "We saw the Fantasy 5 jackpot was over $300,000, so we bought a ticket."
The couple were on their way home the next day when disaster nearly struck.
"The next day, my wife checked the ticket on our way home and started screaming when she realized we had won the jackpot. I started sweating when she told me how much we'd won, so I rolled down the window and the ticket almost flew out the window! Thankfully my wife was able to grab it and tuck it away in a safe spot," the player recalled.
The man said he and his wife are still considering their options for the prize money.
"Winning is surreal and still hasn't sunk in, so we haven't made any plans for the money yet," he said. "We are hoping to save most of it so that we can retire a little earlier than we planned."