Midland Man Who Lost Everything in Flood Wins $2M Lottery

A Midland County man who lost everything in last year's catastrophic flooding has seen his luck change for the better. The 29-year-old man won $2 million on an instant scratch-off ticket from the Michigan State Lottery.

About 11,000 people were evacuated nearly a year ago in May of 2020, following the collapse of the Edenville dam on the Tittabawassee River.

The man tells the Michigan Lottery that he feels overwhelmed after his big win.

“Last year, I lost everything in a flood, so to win this prize is so overwhelming to me,” he said. “I never play $20 tickets, but when I stopped to pick up a couple things on my way to pick up my kids, the Lucky 7’s ticket caught my eye."

He purchased the winning ticket at Anna's Market in Midland and says the 'Lucky 7s' ticket caught his eye because seven is one of his lucky numbers.

"Seven is a lucky number for me, so I decided to take a chance and bought the ticket," he said. “I scratched it off when I got back to my car. When I saw I had a match, I thought: ‘Great, I won my money back!’ When I saw I had actually won $2 million, I couldn’t stop shaking. A few years back, I won $10,000 and I thought that was my once in a lifetime shot at winning the Lottery.”

The player, who has chosen to remain anonymous, decided to take his winnings as a one-time payment amounting to about $1.3 million.

“Knowing my kids will be taken care of is the best feeling in the world,” he said.