$50,000 Powerball ticket narrowly rescued from the laundry

Dec. 3 (UPI) -- A Maryland man averted disaster by rescuing a Powerball ticket worth $50,000 from the pocket of his pants right before his girlfriend put them into the washing machine.

Prince George's County resident Eric Cotton told Maryland Lottery officials his girlfriend was in the process of loading the washer when he remembered he had four Powerball tickets in the pocket of his discarded pants.

Cotton rescued his tickets and discovered one of them, purchased from Kaywood Liquors in Mount Rainier, had won $50,000 in the Nov. 6 Powerball drawing.

"Five minutes later, she was washing clothes," Cotton said. "I looked back at her and she said, 'What's wrong?'"

Cotton said his plans for the money include giving his daughter an extra-happy birthday and saving up to buy a house.