Kentucky Woman Realizes She Threw Away Winning Ticket – Salvages It

There are two universally accepted truths about the lottery: lottery winners tend to be anonymous, and oftentimes, they also tend to be careless. Just ask the Australian lottery, which is still unable to trace the AU$100 million winner of the Powerball.

Woman Checks the Trash to Realize Her Winning Ticket Is There

Yet, some winners are also quick to realize their mistakes, and this is the story of Pamela Howard-Thornton, of Shepherdsville, Kentucky, who had the winning scratch-off lottery ticket in her hands before throwing it into the trash.

It all happened very quickly, though. Howard-Thornton had had a dream of winning big, so she visited a local lottery outlet and bought a ticket – it fetched her $200. A bit later, she decided to return and use the money to buy more tickets, and she did – four of them.

Upon coming home, she left the tickets on the counter and finally got around to playing them in the evening. So, she did, and three tickets were a bust, so she threw them all into the trash. But then, upon reflection, Howard-Thornton remembered – she had a fourth ticket and it was missing.

She was smart enough to check into the trash, where the ticket was indeed. She played the ticket and couldn’t believe it – she had just hit $80,000. Was it possible for her to throw away the winning ticket and remember to check in the trash?

Just to be sure, the woman took the Kentucky Lottery Mobile app and scanned the ticket, and right there it was – she had won the ticket! The win meant even more to her because Howard-Thornton’s mother had long wished for her daughter to win a ticket like that.

A Win of Particular Significance to the Winner’s Family

“My mom has always said she would give anything if she could just see me hit a big ticket before something happens to her. When I called her the night I won, she was so thankful and happy for me,” the woman shared the interaction with her mother, who was beyond herself to find out that her long-standing dream, that of her winning, was coming true at the end.

Much like other lottery winners, Howard-Thornton has decided to go with the lump sum, leaving a hefty amount in tax money, and claiming a net $57,600 – still a very respectable sum.