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Friday the 13th is often thought of as an "unlucky" day, but one woman in North Carolina overcame any possible bad luck to win a lucky six-figure lottery prize.
Christy Merritt, of Efland, purchased a $30 Black Titanium scratch-off ticket from the Efland Supermarket on U.S. 70, quickly learning that she won the $100,000 prize, according to a release from the NC Education Lottery. What's even luckier is that this is second time scoring a big lottery win after she and her roommate split a $250,000 scratch-off prize in 2018.
"I did not believe what I was seeing. It was certainly a shock," she said, adding, "My brain could just not comprehend it. It was very exciting though."
Merritt claimed her prize at lottery headquarters on Monday (October 16), taking home a grand total of $71,259 after all required state and federal tax withholdings. So what does she plan to do with her winnings? According to lottery officials, he hopes to use some of the prize to on her grandchildren, perhaps even taking them on a trip to the beach.
"I have four already with another on the way so maybe I will take them on a nice trip," she said. "Maybe to the beach."
Aside from the potential beach trip, Merritt plans to pay some bills and save some of her winnings for her retirement.