Truck Driver Immediately Quits Job After Winning $298 Million On Lottery

A man in Brooklyn, USA, reacted to the news he had won $298 (£225) million on the lottery in the same way that any of us would - screaming 'I'm rich!' before immediately quitting his job.

Truck driver Dave Johnson had been off sick for a few days and needed to refuel his truck before going back to work. While at the station, he spent $5 (£3.79) on a Powerball ticket, but the 56-year-old was so ill that he didn't watch the draw that evening or go to work the next day, according to NBC.

The Jamaica native was completely oblivious to the fact his life had been flipped on its head until a co-worker informed him that the winning ticket was bought at the gas station where he regularly refuelled. A few days after the draw, he went to the station to check his ticket.

Sure enough, his numbers were an exact match: 5, 25, 38, 52 and 67, with Powerball 24. Better still, he was the sole winner.

With that, he packed in his job 'right away, no delay'.

Speaking to NBC, he said: "I jumped up and down in the store.

"I went, got back in my car, I turned my music up and zoomed on home," adding that he then told his family, "I'm rich! I'm rich! I'm not going to work anymore."

Mr Johnson cashed in the ticket on 2 January, which certainly started 2019 off on a good note.

We shouldn't be too jelly of Mr Johnson, though, as he won't actually end up with the full sum. The winner had the choice between the total amount on an annuity basis, or $180.2 million (£136m) cash. Mr Johnson went for the latter, which means that after tax he is only $114m (£86m) richer.

A pittance, really.

But while Mr Johnson immediately quit his job, he has no plans to relocate. Instead, he's going to invest it wisely and trade in the old truck for a red Porsche. He'll need to be careful 'zooming' around in that, though - it'll go a lot quicker than the truck he's used to.

Last month, a British couple put Mr Johnson's obliviousness to shame though, after they realised they had won the £76m jackpot six weeks after it was drawn.

So remember folks, always check those numbers.

Featured Image Credit: NBC

Topics: US News

Jake Massey

Jake Massey is a journalist at LADbible. He graduated from Newcastle University, where he learnt a bit about media and a lot about living without heating. After spending a few years in Australia and New Zealand, Jake secured a role at an obscure radio station in Norwich, inadvertently becoming a real-life Alan Partridge in the process. From there, Jake became a reporter at the Eastern Daily Press. Jake enjoys playing football, listening to music and writing about himself in the third person.

@jakesmassey