Winning Powerball ticket nearly lost in move

Sept. 24 (UPI) -- An occasional lottery player in Maryland said her $50,000 winning Powerball ticket almost ended up lost in a move, but was rescued by her mother.

The 33-year-old Laurel woman told Maryland Lottery officials she only buys tickets once or twice a year, so she quickly forgot about the Powerball ticket she bought for the Sept. 7 drawing at True Convenience Store in Bryans Road.

The woman said the ticket sat forgotten in a pile of papers until weeks later, when her mother was helping her move.

"By then, the ticket had disappeared from my mind. I just had so much to do and everything I owned was in boxes here and there. If she hadn't noticed the ticket in a pile of papers, I never would have," the player said.

The ticket turned out to be a $50,000 winner.

"I was snooping a bit, figuring out what was trash and what wasn't, when I saw the ticket. I decided to check on it -- just in case," the winner's mother said.

She had the honor of giving her lucky daughter the good news.

"She stayed calm," the mother said, "but I could tell she was shocked and very excited."

The winner said she plans to invest her winnings and possibly take a vacation.