May 8 (UPI) -- A Virginia man waiting to cash in his $1,000 winning lottery ticket ended up winning an additional $177,777 before collecting his prize.
Jeff Melick of Newport News told Virginia Lottery officials he was waiting until the lottery's customer service centers reopened to cash in his $1,000 winning scratch-off ticket when he purchased a Lucky 7s Tripler ticket.
The ticket turned out to be a $177,777 top prize winner.
"I kind of went numb," Melick said. "I was doing good with the $1,000 winner."
Melick said he plans to use some of his winnings to pay it forward by taking care of strangers' purchases at his local convenience store.