N.C. man nearly threw away $200,000 winning lottery ticket

Oct. 4 (UPI) -- A North Carolina man nearly missed out on a $200,000 lottery prize after he almost threw away the winning ticket.

Frank Clark of Gastonia bought the $5 Mega Millions/Powerball scratch-off ticket at Jakob's Food Mart, but said he nearly threw it away because he thought it was a losing ticket.

"I didn't think I won anything at first," said Clark. "I was going to throw it away, but then my wife checked it for me. I always let her check them. She has better eyesight than I do."

Clark claimed his prize at the North Carolina lottery headquarters in Raleigh on Tuesday, receiving a lump sum of $141,003 after required state and federal tax withholdings.

He said he plans to use the winnings to buy his own tractor-trailer truck.

"I was a truck driver for 38 years before I retired," he said. "This will let me still do some driving."