A man was in an accident and died before it was discovered that he had won part of a £7.9m prize in the lottery. Andrew Gillon, 59, of North Lanarkshire, Scotland, fell down the stairs of an acquaintance’s home at a New Year’s Eve party in December. He ended up not resisting and died a few days later.
Subsequently, the family discovered a golden envelope, revealing that he and other punters in the Shaw Crescent district took a share of the prize. In the case of the deceased, the smaller amount, but still quite relevant: 8,092 pounds (about R$ 55,635). In an interview with the Daily Mail, Gillon’s daughter, Lisa Thomas, 32, said the money was a last gift from her father, who told her: “You won’t laugh when I win.”
The wife recalled the moment she learned of the amount her husband would win in the lottery. “When I confirmed it, I felt absolutely devastated at first. I could hear his excited phone call telling me he had won and I know his first thought would be to gift us all with a vacation,” she said.
“I feel sad that he’s not here to enjoy this with us, but I also feel some emotion for him and I’m sure he had something to do with it. I’m sure he’s watching us and saying ‘I told you so’.
Family must use lottery prize on vacation trip
Lisa received the award on behalf of her late father and declared that she must use the money for vacations, which would be his wish. “We haven’t talked about what exactly we’re going to do with all the money yet, but probably a vacation to Florida. It’s where I got married and I have so many amazing memories of going there with my dad. I’ve been there five times and never without my dad being with me. So it’s going to be painful, but I know that’s where he’d like to go.”
Before finding out how much her father had earned, Lisa commented that any amount would be enough to make her father proud. “I get emotional thinking about it. Even if it’s the £1,000 minimum, my father would have had his head on the moon.”
