LaQuedra Edwards was at a Vons in Tarzana in November when she put $40 into a California Lottery Scratchers vending machine. As she was about to choose which games she wanted, she said, "some rude person" bumped into her.
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According to Edwards, the impact of the stranger bumping into her caused her to push a number on the machine that she did not intend. Out came a $30 200X Scratchers ticket -- which she had no intention of buying.
"He just bumped into me, didn't say a thing and just walked out the door," Edwards recalled, as described in a news release issued by the California Lottery on Wednesday. She recounted being irritated not only because the person bumped into her, but also because she had spent 75% of her lottery money on one ticket instead of being able to purchase her usual selection of lower-priced favorites.
Edwards returned to her car and began scratching the $30 ticket. That's when she realized she'd won the game's top prize -- a cool $10 million.
$421M Mega Millions winning ticket sold at a gas station in Woodland Hills
$421M Mega Millions winning ticket sold at a gas station in Woodland Hills
"I didn't really believe it at first, but I got on the 405 Freeway and kept looking down at (the ticket) and I almost crashed my car," Edwards said, according to the statement. "I pulled over, looked at it again and again, scanned it with my (California Lottery mobile) app and I just kept thinking, 'This can't be right.'"
"I'm still in shock," she added. "All I remember saying once I found out how much I just won was, 'I'm rich!'"
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The supermarket received a $50,000 bonus for selling the winning ticket.
According to the news release, Edwards plans to use her winnings to buy a house and launch a nonprofit organization.
Editor's note: This story was originally published on April 6, 2022.