North Carolina Man Wins $1M Lottery Prize After Buying Ticket with $20 He Found on the Street

“We are going to head straight to Golden Corral and eat everything they’ve got,” winner Jerry Hicks joked

One North Carolina man had a stroke of good luck when he not only found a $20 bill but used it to buy a lottery ticket that saw him win big.

Jerry Hicks, a resident of Banner Elk, found $20 on the ground and used the money to buy an Extreme Cash scratch-off ticket that ultimately won the $1 million dollar prize, according to North Carolina Lottery officials.

The master carpenter explained how his surprise windfall came to be. “I found $20 in the parking lot outside the Speedway. I used that to buy the ticket,” Hicks told lottery officials. “They actually didn’t have the ticket I was looking for, so I bought that one instead,” he added.

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“We are going to head straight to Golden Corral and eat everything they’ve got,” Hicks said of the initial plan for his winnings — but his long-term goals involve supporting himself and his family.

Per local ABC affiliate WLOS, Hicks said he plans to use his winnings to retire after 56 years as a carpenter and to help out his children.

Related: North Carolina Man Wins $837K Lottery Prize After Sister Had a Dream He Found a 'Bunch of Gold'

When he arrived at the North Carolina lottery office to claim his prize, Hicks could decide between receiving his winnings as an annuity of $50,000 over 20 years or a lump sum of $600,000. He chose the lump sum and, after federal and state tax deductions, took home $429,007, lottery officials said.

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