Empty lawn mower, broken card reader lead man to $300,000 lottery jackpot

July 8 (UPI) -- A South Carolina man said the need to buy gas for his lawnmower, and a store's broken card reader led to his winning a $300,000 lottery jackpot.

The St. George man told South Carolina Education Lottery officials the story of his lottery win started with a simple need to buy gas so he could mow his lawn.

"It's weird how it happened," the man recalled.

The player said he stopped at Chris Corner in St. George to fill up a gas can and decided to make a second stop to buy ice, but the card reader at the second store was broken.

The man said he obtained some cash to pay for the ice, and decided to use the remaining money to make another stop at Chris Corner for a lottery ticket.

The Carolina Bonus Cash ticket earned the man a $300,000 top prize.

"I called my wife. She thought something bad happened because of how my voice sounded," he said. "She told me to come home."

The man said he wants to use his prize money to help others and save for his children's college educations.