Alabama man wins $100,000 off lottery ticket from Little River gas station

A man from Alabama got a $100,000 surprise on his way to vacation in Myrtle Beach.

Louis Hudson, from Birmingham, Ala., won $100,000 from a $5 lottery ticket sold in Little River. Hudson cashed his ticket in Columbia on Monday.

“Everybody is still in shock,” Hudson said. “This wasn’t in the plan.”

Hudson was traveling with 21 of his relatives when they stopped at the Kangaroo Express #3140 on Highway 9 in Little River, according to a news release from Holli Armstrong with the S.C. Educational Lottery.

Hudson decided to buy a lottery ticket and won the last top prize of $100,000 in the $5 20X game, at odds of 1 in 480,000, Armstrong said.

Hudson said the first part of his vacation before he cashed the ticket was not enjoyable, “since carrying $100,000 in your pocket is stressful,” Armstrong said.

He didn’t go into the ocean or ride jet skis with his family because he was afraid he’d drown or get bit by a shark before being able to cash in the ticket.

“We are going back to our vacation,” he said. “This is my first trip to Myrtle Beach and I plan to come back.”

For selling the claimed ticket, the Little River Kangaroo Express store received a commission of $1,000, Armstrong said.

This story was originally published August 13, 2015 at 4:58 PM with the headline "Alabama man wins $100,000 off lottery ticket from Little River gas station."