Kentucky man 'ran out of gas,' won $1 million lottery prize

May 26 (UPI) -- A Kentucky man said he won a $1 million lottery jackpot thanks to what initially seemed like an unlucky event -- he ran out of gas.

Michael Schlemmer of Corbin told Kentucky Lottery officials he just barely made it to the Convenient Food Mart in Corbin.

"I ran out of gas, and I coasted in there," Schlemmer said. "I had $40 bucks on me and bought $20 worth of gas and bought a ticket."

Schlemmer selected a $20 $1,000,000 Luck scratch-off ticket.

"I scratched it off and I looked at it and went back in the store. I showed the girls that sold it to me, and they about had a fit. The owners of the store were there, and they both started grinning," the player recalled.

The ticket was a $1 million top prize winner.

Schlemmer said he will use some of his winnings to buy a new vehicle and the rest will go into savings.

"I told the dealership I'm waiting for a big check to come in and then I hit that," he said.