North Carolina Woman 'Fell To The Floor' After $2 Million Lottery Win

A lucky lottery player in North Carolina got the surprise of her life when she won $2 million, even falling to the floor in shock.

Loretta James recently purchased a $20 $100 Million Mega Cash scratch-off ticket from a Short Stop Mart in Maxton, a move that ended up scoring her a multi-million win in the game, according to a release from the NC Education Lottery. However, she didn't immediately notice that she won the massive prize, instead thinking she just won the price of the ticket.

"I saw the dollar sign and thought, 'Oh I won my $20 back,'" she said, adding she quickly learned the truth of her real prize. "Then I looked at it again and I started screaming."

She continued, laughing, "I fell to the floor. I had to ask my daughter if it was real."

The Robeson County woman is "still in disbelief" and coming to terms with her win, saying, "You never think something like this will happen to you."

Jones claimed her prize at lottery headquarters on Monday (October 9) where she had the choice to collect her winnings as either an annuity of $100,000 over the course of 20 years or as a one time lump sum payment of $1.2 million. In the end she chose the latter, bringing home an impressive $855,006 after all required state and federal tax withholdings.

According to lottery officials, Jones already has big plans for what to do with her prize. Not only will she be able to pay some of her bills, she said she will use some of the funds to finally take a trip to Hawaii, a beautiful destination she has always wanted to visit.

"My dream vacation has always been Hawaii," she said. "I want to take that trip now."