Jan. 25 (UPI) -- A South Carolina man said his urgent need for a bathroom break led to his winning a $200,000 lottery jackpot.
The Pendleton man told South Carolina Education Lottery officials he ended up at the Xpress Fuel station in Pendleton because he needed to use the restroom.
"I usually stop at the store across the street, but it was busy after a Clemson game," the player said.
The man said he decided to buy a beverage and a few scratch-off lottery tickets while inside the store. The player said he and his wife scratched the tickets off in the car and won $20, so he decided to go back inside to buy a few more tickets.
One of the tickets, a $5 Triple Red 777s game, revealed a $200,000 prize.
"My heart dropped," the winner recalled. "I jumped out of the car and threw the ticket on the store counter and asked them to scan it to be sure."
The man said winning was "surreal."
"On a whim I bought that ticket," he said. "Now we're getting to do some stuff we've always wanted to do."
The winner said he and his wife are using their windfall to buy a new car and remodel their home.