In a stroke of luck resulting from a store clerk's inadvertent mistake, a 60-year-old man from Illinois has won a Michigan Lottery prize worth $25,000 a year for life. Michael Sopejstal shared the tale of his unexpected windfall, attributing it to an error made during the ticket purchase process. Sopejstal, who frequently visits Michigan, revealed his routine of purchasing Lucky for Life tickets whenever he dines at his favorite restaurant in the state. "I come to Michigan every few weeks to eat at my favorite restaurant, and I always get a Lucky for Life ticket for 10 or 20 draws while I'm here," he explained. During one such visit, Sopejstal requested a ticket for 10 draws from the GoLo gas station on West Buffalo Street in New Buffalo. However, a clerical mistake resulted in the printing of a ticket with 10 lines for a single draw. Despite the error, Sopejstal opted to proceed with the purchase. To his astonishment, the ticket turned out to be a winner, matching all five white balls in the Sept. 17 drawing: 11-15-17-24-48. "I checked my ticket one morning and saw that I had won $25,000 a year for life. I immediately started thinking about all the things I could do with the money and whether I wanted to take the lump sum or annuity option. It was an amazing feeling," Sopejstal expressed. The fortunate winner shared his plans to utilize the prize money for travel and to bolster his savings, turning an accidental ticketing error into a life-changing financial boon.