Canceled flight leads to winning $1 million lottery ticket

A Michigan man is $1 million richer, thanks to a canceled flight that led him to purchase a lottery ticket.

Paul Kuharevicz, 56, matched the five balls drawn in Friday’s Michigan lottery drawing, winning the $1 million prize.

The big win came after an inconvenience: A canceled flight at Chicago's O'Hare Airport that forced him to find another way home.

“I was on my way home from a business trip and my flight out of O’Hare was canceled, so I rented a car and drove home,” Kuharevicz said in a statement from the Michigan lotto.

“When I got home, I realized I had left my bike at work and went to pick it up. On my way there, I stopped at Ladd’s and bought a ticket," he added. "The next morning, my son sent me a text and told me to check my ticket because someone had won $1 million on a ticket bought at Ladd’s.”

Once Kuharevicz saw he was the winner, he came through on a promise he made to his wife long ago, telling her she no longer has to work.

“I’ve always told my wife if I win the lottery then she can retire,” said Kuharevicz. “She's been a teacher for 28 years, but next year will be her last year teaching.”

He also said he is going to use the money to pay off his home, buy a new bike and invest the rest.

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