TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — An Ohio man struck gold when he bought a $1 million prize-winning scratch-off ticket while on a road trip to visit family in Florida.
Solomon Garens, 45, of Munroe Falls, Ohio, said he and his family were making the grueling 17-hour trip from Munroe Falls, Ohio to Florida to visit family when they made a pit stop to refuel and use the restrooms.
“I was exhausted,” Garens told the Florida lottery. “We had promised the kids we would visit family in Florida before summer ended.”
Rolling her eyes, Garen’s wife joked that she had asked for a pit stop to grab some water a couple hours before Garens finally made the stop. After he filled up the car, Garens grabbed his wife a water and a Gold Rush Limited scratch-off ticket.
“When I saw the million-dollar prize, I couldn’t believe it!”
After Garens claimed the winning ticket at the lottery headquarters, he added with a tired, but very happy smile, “I guess the only bad news is this has added a four-hour detour to our trip.”
Garens chose to receive his winnings as a one-time, lump-sum payment of $795,000.
The winning ticket was purchased at the RaceTrac at 301 Palm Coast Parkway in Palm Coast. The retailer will also a $2,000 bonus commission for selling the winning scratch-off ticket.