(Michigan City, IN) - About a dozen employees at a Michigan City company have split their winnings from a Powerball jackpot, but nobody is leading the life of a millionaire.  They were just one number short of a $170 million jackpot. 

 

The dozen or so workers at Bulk Transport Corporation did collect about $4,000 apiece.  “There’s always next time,” said David Tapocsi, a mechanic at a company which rents bulldozers, skid-steer loaders, excavators and other heavy machinery.

           

Tapocsi, 31, of Valparaiso said the atmosphere at work following the March 13 drawing was sort of bittersweet.  The Powerball number drawn matched the one on their ticket but one of the first five numbers picked was not a match.

 

Their total prize was $50,000.  “They were very happy that we won but kind of nagging each other that just one more number we could have hit the big jackpot,” he said.  Coming that close to easy street is not expected to be something that will fade from their memories anytime soon.  “It still doesn’t seem real yet,” he said.

 

Tapocsi said most of the workers at his company pool their money every week to purchase tickets for the Powerball drawing.  He’s been in charge of buying the tickets which he usually does to and from work at Gallops Marathon on U.S. 20.

 

Tapocsi said he spent some of his winnings on a tool cart and some tools.  He’s saving the rest of his prize money for a vacation in Greece once travel restrictions brought on by COVID-19 are lifted.  “I’ve always wanted to go there,” he said.