California Lottery Winner of $10M Hit By Accident After Person Bumped Her

Posted on: April 7, 2022, 08:20h. 

Last updated on: April 8, 2022, 06:35h.

Ed Silverstein @casinoorgedsilv Read More
Expertise: Legal, Tribal Gaming.

Sometimes, it’s worth getting bumped into by another person. For LaQuedra Edwards, state lottery officials revealed that it meant winning $10 million in a California scratch game.

The emblem for California’s 200X scratch ticket lottery game, pictured above. The lottery revealed how a woman won $10 million after a person bumped into her while standing in front of a lottery vending machine. The impact led her hand to touch the button for the game. (Image: California Lottery)

The incident took place in a Vons Supermarket in Tarzana, Calif in November. Edwards was standing in front of the store’s lottery vending machine. She wanted to play. But was not sure which game to select. Then, “some rude person” bumped into her.

He just bumped into me, didn’t say a thing and just walked out the door,” Edwards recalled in a statement released by the lottery on Wednesday.

The impact led her hand to hit the button for a $30 200X Scratchers ticket. Initially, she was disappointed. She had put $40 in the machine and wanted to buy several tickets for less-expensive games, which was her typical purchase. Still disappointed and angry at the person who bumped into her, she left the store. She went back to her car.

Edwards decided to scratch the ticket anyway. It showed she had just become a multimillionaire.

Rich Realization

“I didn’t really believe it at first, but I got on the 405 freeway and kept looking down at [the ticket] … I almost crashed my car,” Edwards recalled.

She pulled over. She kept on looking at the scratch ticket. She scanned it with a lottery app.

I just kept thinking this can’t be right,” Edwards recollected. “I’m still in shock. All I remember saying, once I found out how much I just won was, ‘I’m rich!’”

She is going to spend some of the money to purchase a house. She also wants to start a nonprofit organization.

The Southern California supermarket where the ticket was purchased will get a $50,000 bonus.

From Trash to Riches

This is not the first time someone had a lot of luck in a state lottery.

This week, Casino.org reported that a Virginia lottery player hit a $110,000 Cash 5 jackpot during the Feb. 24 draw. There was one problem: she accidentally tossed the ticket into the garbage.

She looked through trash bins. She was getting anxious. But then she spotted the ticket. It was covered with coffee stains. And the all-important bar code was stained, too. A local retailer told Elliott they could not validate the ticket. That was not going to stop her.

Still determined, she went to the Virginia Lottery’s Prize Zone in Henrico. Lottery officials were able to confirm the ticket was legitimate. She got the $110,000 jackpot.