A San Francisco taxi driver won $1.9 million in the California Lottery’s Mega Millions game.
Mahendra KC (according to California Lottery officials, KC is the lottery winner’s full last name), a 50-year-old immigrant from Nepal, bought the Mega Million Quick Pick ticket from Huntington Liquor in San Bruno for a dollar, lottery officials said today.
The ticket matched five of the six numbers – 11, 19, 24, 33 and 51– in Tuesday night’s draw for a $414 million jackpot.
One additional number would have allow KC to split the full jackpot with two other winners in Florida and Maryland, officials said.
KC showed up early at the lottery’s South San Francisco office Wednesday morning to claim his prize.
KC’s son Niranjan told lottery officials that his family planned to use the winnings to try to get organ transplants for their grandparents and treat his father’s chronic heart problems, as well as to pay off school loans.
“It’s just a life-changing situation here,” said KC’s daughter Chandani, who helped translate for him. “Now whatever dreams we had all together as a family, they’re going to be true.”
Sara Gaiser, Bay City News
