HOBART | The last thing Scott Workman said to his brother was, "Have a safe trip."

That cautionary phrase ended up being the last thing Scott would say to his brother.

Brian Workman, 33; his wife, Joanna L. Workman, 31; and their three children - Ashley, 13, Tyler, 8, and Ryan, 1, were killed early Friday morning in a fiery crash on Interstate 65 at U.S. 231.

The Hobart family died when the pickup truck in which it was riding was crushed between two semitrailers, according to an Indiana State Police report.

Scott Workman said his brother's family had loaded up its pickup truck Thursday in preparation for a two-week trip. The family was going to Walt Disney World in Florida to celebrate Tyler's 9th birthday and visit Scott and Brian's mom, who had never seen the baby.

Now Scott Workman is making plans for the funeral.

"The last thing I said to him was have a safe trip. I wish I had him back. I miss them all," Scott Workman said.

Visitation for the family is from 4 to 8 p.m. today at Burns Funeral Home in Crown Point. Funeral services are at 11:30 a.m. Wednesday from the funeral home.

Lake County Sheriff's Department spokesman Mike Higgins said traffic Friday on I-65 was slowed because trucks were towing the car of a Gary man who police had been pursuing for not wearing a seat belt. The man refused to stop and fled on foot, police said.

A semitrailer was southbound on I-65 in the right lane at the U.S. 231 exit when traffic slowed. The driver told police he felt something hit him from behind and later realized it was the Dodge pickup truck carrying the Workman family.

Another semi was traveling in the same lane when it approached the stopped traffic. That driver could not stop in time and hit the rear of the Workmans' truck, pushing it into the other semi. The Workmans' vehicle caught fire after impact.

Higgins called the accident a horrible tragedy and said there was no one at the top of the hill to flag traffic.

"We could have, but we didn't," Higgins said.

Indiana State Police spokesman Ann Wojas said her department was not notified by Lake County about the tow and didn't receive any communication until after the accident occurred.

She said generally, particularly if there is a traffic accident, State Police can count on Hoosier Helpers coming in to help flag traffic.

Scott Workman said he and his brother had spent their youth in North Carolina with their mother and then moved to Northwest Indiana, where their father lived for job-related reasons.

Brian Workman met and fell in love with Joanna, whom he married 14 years ago, Scott Workman said.

"They had a beautiful family," he said.

Brian Workman, who worked as a machinist at Midwest Service Center in Hobart since November, was well respected and well liked, even though only employed there a short time, human resource administrator Alice Martrano said.

"He will be sorely missed by our organization as a valuable contributor to our business and as a person with values and morals," Martrano said.

She said she heard the news that Brian and his family had been killed and passed along word to his fellow workers, who took it badly.

"We closed up the shop at 2 p.m.," she said.

River Forest Junior/Senior High School Principal Andy Wielgus said summer school classes on Monday morning started out with a moment of silence for the Workman family.

Ashley would have been an eighth-grader at River Forest, starting in the fall, and Tyler, a third-grader at Meister Elementary School, Wielgus said.

In addition, three grief counselors were on hand to speak to students and faculty.

"It's very, very sad. ... We lost a great family," Wielgus said.

He said school officials are discussing several ways of honoring the Workman family including planting a tree at Meister where Joanna Workman, a stay-at-home mom, served as PTO president.

The message on a sign outside Meister Elementary on Monday read: "Workman family. You will be missed. God bless."