Ready to select her favorite scratch-off ticket, LaQuedra Edwards put $40 into a California Lottery vending machine at Vons Supermarket in Tarzana, Los Angeles County, until someone bumped into her, leading her to accidentally push the wrong number.
"He just bumped into me, didn't say a thing, and just walked out the door," Edwards told California State Lottery officials.
Edwards said she felt irritated not only because someone bumped her, but also because she’d spent 75 percent of her Lottery money on one ticket, instead of being able to buy her usual selection of cheaper-priced favorites.
The fateful encounter produced a $30 200X Scratchers ticket that she had no intention of buying.
But that irritation faded and turned into joyous disbelief. Once back in her car, she started scratching the $30 ticket and discovered she’d just won the game’s top prize of $10 million.
“I’m still in shock. All I remember saying once I found out how much I just won was, ‘I’m rich!,’” Edwards told state lottery officials.
Edwards plans to use her winnings to buy a house and start a non-profit organization.
The Vons store where Edwards was literally pushed into buying the Scratchers ticket got a $50,000 bonus just for being the vendor.
This series of events occurred in November 2021, but California Lottery shared the story this month in a statement.
