When a stranger bumps into you, you might get an apology. LaQuedra Edwards got $10 million.
Last November, Edwards had just put $40 into a lottery ticket vending machine at a supermarket in Los Angeles when "some rude person" bumped into her, causing her to accidentally push the wrong number on the machine.
"He just bumped into me, didn't say a thing and just walked out the door," Edwards said.
She usually purchases cheaper tickets, but the accidental button push meant she'd bought a $30 200X Scratchers ticket. Edwards said she was annoyed because she had just dropped most of her money on a single ticket.
But once she was in her car, she started scratching the $30 ticket, and realized she'd won the top prize of $10 million.
"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. "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."
Edwards said she is going to use her winnings to buy a house and start a nonprofit organization. Copyright 2022 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.