Lottery player gets ‘funny feeling’ during car wash — then wins huge prize in Maryland
Liam Ferns was waiting for his car at a car wash recently when he got thirsty and decided to stop in a gas station next door for a drink.
As the 48-year-old made his way through the Abingdon Royal Farms, he passed a lottery vending machine, and something strange happened, according to an Aug. 10 Maryland Lottery news release.
“I just got a funny feeling,” Fern told officials. “So, I went over to the machine, closed my eyes and randomly picked a ticket.”
Fern’s finger landed on the $50,000 Cash game, so he bought a ticket and headed back to get his car, according to officials. Before he started vacuuming his vehicle, Fern took a second to scratch his ticket.
“I thought, ‘This has got to be wrong,’” Fern said in the release.
He had revealed a $50,000 top prize, officials said.
“When I scanned it back at the store, it said ‘See Lottery,’ so it had to be right,” Fern told officials.
Fern said he headed home and immediately showed his girlfriend his ticket, but she didn’t believe him.
“We joke with each other all the time,” Fern’s girlfriend told officials. “I just knew the ticket was fake, but I was thrilled to find out it wasn’t.”
Fern is a shift leader at an oil refinery, and he plans to use his prize toward his retirement savings, according to officials.
Abingdon is about 30 miles northeast of Baltimore.
This story was originally published August 10, 2023 at 1:42 PM with the headline "Lottery player gets ‘funny feeling’ during car wash — then wins huge prize in Maryland."
