Son alerts Michigan man to his $500,000 lottery win

June 14 (UPI) -- A Michigan man said a phone call from his son tipped him off to the fact he had won a $500,000 Powerball prize.

Benjamin Pauline, 49, of Allen Park, told Michigan Lottery officials he and his son stopped at the Stop & Go station on Allen Road in Southgate to get their tickets for the March 30 drawing.

"My son and I stopped to buy a few Powerball tickets at the store we always play lottery at," Pauline said. "The day after the drawing, me and my wife were on our way to an Easter party when I got a call from my son. He said: 'You might want to check your Powerball tickets because a $500,000 winner was sold at the Stop & Go, and it wasn't me!'"

Pauline said he handed his tickets over to his son when he arrived at the party.

"When we arrived at the party, my son scanned my tickets on his lottery app. As we scanned them, I was starting to lose hope that I was the big winner, and then finally we scanned the last one and $500,000 came up on the screen with confetti. It was unreal," the player recalled.

Pauline said his winnings will go toward buying a home, investing and taking care of his family.