Man Loses Winning Lottery Ticket Worth More Than $1 Million, Finds it Again In Parking Lot

A Tennessee man with extremely chaotic luck was almost out a whole lotto money after winning more than $1 million from a lottery ticket, briefly misplacing his winning slip, and then finding it again in a parking lot.

Earlier this month Nick Slatten picked up the ticket while stopping for a drink at a grocery store after a long day spent laying tile, NBC News reported. Slatten, who lives roughly 80 miles north of Chattanooga, checked the results the following morning, and to his surprise, learned he had scored more than $1 million. "I was stunned. I couldn't believe it," the newly-minted millionaire said in a statement. "I can't express it. It was something else."

After learning he had struck it big, Slatten celebrated his new life as a lotto winner in the sexiest, most glamorous way ever imaginable – visiting his fiancee's workplace to let her know about their winnings, running errands, and taking his brother to an auto parts store. Yet about an hour into this rockstar-level celebration, an ever-so-slight problem arose – the winning ticket worth seven figures had vanished, as Slatten says he "couldn't find it anywhere." In what may be the calmest response to losing a million-dollar lottery ticket known to man, Slatten began retracing his steps, leading him back to the auto parts store where he found the wily ticket sitting just outside of the driver's door of a random car. 

“It's a million-dollar ticket, and someone stepped right over it,” he recalled of reuniting with his winnings. Talk about a close call … 

 As for what Slatten plans to with his new million-dollar prize, hopefully being kept in a safe, specific locale? He says he and his wife will both keep working, as they aspire to live a life with "not a whole lot of worries."

So folks, take Slatten's nerve-wracking experience as a cautionary tale – if you win big while playing the lotto, please refrain from losing your ticket – and if you happen across a lottery ticket laying on the ground, always check to see if it's worth $1 million. 

Top Image: Shutterstock

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