87-Year Old's Fractured Hip Turned Out To Be His Lucky Break

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87-Year Old's Fractured Hip Turned Out To Be His Lucky Break

NBC 10

Even though the chances of winning the lottery is less than one in 7.5 million, it's hard not to fantasize of having all the right numbers when you purchase yourself a ticket.

Although some lotto winners have shared their tips to winning the jackpot, others simply chalk it up to chance.

And one Blackpool, New Jersey man can now attest to this theory of pure luck, after he won the lottery while recuperating from a broken hip.

"I thought he was confused, maybe from pain meds."

Ironically, Earl Livingston, 87, was on his way to buy a lottery ticket when he fell and broke his hip.

He was brought to the Jefferson Stratford Hospital, where he shared his plight with the medical staff.

"He told them he was on his way to buy a lottery ticket and he was disappointed that he didn't get it," Livingston's niece, Bobbie Mickle, told NBC 10. "So they said, 'Why don't you go in with us? We're also buying a lottery ticket.'"

A physician's assistant added him to the pool, which had 141 other participants.

The ticket, purchased in Lindenwold, New Jersey, ended up being worth $1 million, and when Mickle heard the news, she couldn't believe her uncle's luck.

"I thought he was confused, maybe from pain meds. And then the staff came into the room and they were saying congratulations," she told the news outlet. "And I was like, 'Wow, he really did win.'"

Although Livingston will need a hip replacement, he's overwhelmed with the happy news.

"I want to thank everybody," Livingston said. "I appreciate very much and God bless you and have a happy, happy long life!"

However, this isn't the only incredible lottery story to happen in the past few years.

"Barbara wants a new house, so she'll get one."

In 2017, Canadian couple Barbara and Douglas Fink were amazed to learn they had the winning numbers for the Lotto 6/49 jackpot - for the third time in nearly 30 years.

Although they had won in the past, this was the biggest payout they ever received, at a whopping $8,163,061.10.

"I knew we had all the numbers, but I didn't know how many winners there were," Barbara said. "I called Douglas back before midnight and told him it was more than $8 million!"

The Finks first became winners in 1989 after Douglas shared in a $128,000 lotto win with four of his friends, and again in 2010, when the couple took home $100,000.

When asked what they'll do with their jackpot, Barbara and Douglas said they intend to make sure their daughters and grandchildren are well taken care of.

They added that they hope to travel in the new future, and purchase a new home.

"Barbara wants a new house, so she'll get one," he told the Western Canada Lottery Corporation.

[H/T: NBC 10, BBC News]

If you won the lottery, what would you spend your winnings on? Let us know in the comments!

Maya has been working at Shared for a year. She just begrudgingly spent $200 on a gym membership. Contact her at maya@shared.com