Clerk Error Lands Georgia Woman $25 Million in Powerball Jackpot

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An initially unremarkable mistake proved fortuitous for one lucky lady.

Kathy Scruggs, of Lithonia, Ga., has won a $25 million Powerball grand prize, and it couldn’t have come at a better time.  The 44-year-old Scruggs has been unemployed since her seasonal job ended this spring, and months of looking for work have still left her empty-handed.

Scruggs requested a Mega Millions ticket when she stopped at a Shell Food Mart in Decatur, but the clerk inadvertently gave her a Powerball ticket.  The agreeable Scruggs didn’t correct the mistake; she simply purchased an additional Mega Millions ticket.

The odds of winning the jackpot in Powerball are 1 in 195,249,054, but the night after the drawing, Scruggs discovered that the her Powerball numbers matched.  She proceeded to wake up her entire household with shrieks of joy.

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The store clerk, Baljit Suddan, cannot recall this specific sale, but was happy for Scruggs in remarks she made to CNN: “Sometimes it happens.  They ask for something, and by mistake [we] give them something [else]…It was a blessing for her.”

An ecstatic Scruggs plans to purchase a car, provide for her family, and do some traveling.  “I’m going to build my mom and grandmother a home.  That’s my first focus,” she told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.  She also hopes to start a charity to help the homeless and provide dental services to the needy.

Scruggs chose the cash lump sum option and will rake in $15,124,017 before taxes.

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Allison Berry is a contributor at TIME.  You can continue the discussion on TIME’s Facebook page and on Twitter at @TIME.