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A North Carolina man plans to help out family affected by tragedy after winning a "surreal" lottery prize.
Erik Kreiner, of Weaverville, recently landed a "dream" win after getting a second chance for a big lottery prize. According to a release from the NC Education Lottery, the Buncombe man won $500,000 in the $10 Million Spectacular Second Chance drawing on Wednesday, March 5, beating out more than 1.9 million entries for the win. Speaking to lottery officials, he recalled the moment he received the phone call sharing the exciting news.
"That was a surreal moment," he said. "It was quite shocking."
Kreiner is still celebrating the prize, adding that winning feels like seeing his wildest imaginations become a reality.
"Dreams do come true," he said.
Kreiner claimed his prize at lottery headquarters on Friday (March 7), taking home an impressive $358,750 after all required state and federal tax withholdings. While he plans to invest his winnings, he told lottery officials he also wants to use the prize to help out family members who were impacted by Tropical Storm Helene, saying, "It is a good way to pay it forward."
In addition to Kreiner's win, the drawing had a top prize of $1 million and 10 prizes of $50,000.