A truck driver was stopped in Texas when he remembered a lottery ticket he bought a thousand miles away.

Berhane Meharena bought a raffle ticket for the Virginia Lottery’s New Year’s Millionaire Raffle before the new year, he told lottery officials in a Feb. 2 news release, but he didn’t check the ticket right away.

Sitting in his rig in Texas, he decided to check the winning numbers.

“I was by myself in the truck,” Meharena said in the news release. “I was screaming!”

His ticket won $1 million.

Knowing he had to get back to Virginia to claim the prize, the Arlington resident started the more than 1,000-mile drive back to the northern state, he told officials.

When he got back to Virginia he was sick, he said, and had to wait until he felt better to claim his prize.

Meharena was one of five people who won $1 million, lottery officials said.

“This was a lucky year!” Meharena said, but he doesn’t have a plan for the winnings just yet.

Arlington is about 8 miles southwest of downtown Washington, D.C.

Many people can gamble or play games of chance without harm. However, for some, gambling is an addiction that can ruin lives and families.

If you or a loved one shows signs of gambling addiction, you can seek help by calling the national gambling hotline at 1-800-522-4700 or visiting the National Council on Problem Gambling website.

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