A family is in mourning after an 80-year-old veteran was killed in a car crash just moments after attending an event honoring veterans at his granddaughter’s elementary school on Friday.

Family members say Peter Morris, a Vietnam War veteran, had just left Woodward Parkway Elementary School in South Farmingdale when his SUV was struck by another vehicle shortly before noon. The impact sent his car careening onto the school’s property.

Morris was pronounced dead at the scene.

Earlier that morning, Morris had proudly posed for photos with his 9-year-old granddaughter during the school’s event honoring veterans. The images, taken shortly before the crash, now serve as a heartbreaking reminder of a life cut short.

“I was inside the house. I heard a big crash,” said neighbor Katrina Innamorato, who lives nearby. “I looked out the window and saw a bunch of white smoke. Someone said the car had caught on fire.”

Another longtime resident, Tony Ferrara, said he was stunned by the severity of the collision.

“I’ve been living here for 50 years, and this is the worst accident I’ve ever seen,” he said.

Neighbors described the scene as chaotic, with first responders rushing to the area.

“It’s tragic,” Innamorato added. “Especially with an elementary school right there and all those children around.”

Relatives say Morris’ death comes shortly after his wife died five months earlier.

The family had been planning a trip to Disney World — a trip Morris had been looking forward to taking with his children and grandchildren.