On Monday, MBTA Transit police were still at the Norwood Central Commuter train lot, a day after a horrific snowplow accident killed a 51-year-old Norwood woman, as a powerful weekend storm hit Massachusetts.
On Lenox Street, a man who wanted to be identified only as Mike told Boston 25 News reporter Bob Ward that he saw police lights across the street and only realized later what had happened.
“I’m just shocked this happened right here in my front yard, literally,” he said.
MBTA Transit Police identified the victim as 51-year-old Noriko Rapley of Norwood.
MBTA identifies woman struck, killed by plow while walking with husband in commuter rail parking lot
Her husband, 47-year-old Joseph Rapley, was also hit while the couple were walking together through the parking lot.
He was released from a local hospital with non-life threatening injuries.
Bob Ward spoke to him at his Norwood home, but did not want to be interviewed.
“Thoughts and prayers to the man. I can’t imagine having to go through that. Heartbreaking,” said John Reetz of Norwood.
Transit police said the couple was hit around 2 pm Sunday afternoon, when the snow plow driver, an independent contractor operating a Ford 350 truck, backed into them while trying to clear the parking lot.
The authorities said that the driver remained on the scene and was cooperating with the detectives.
Neighbors told Ward that at the time of the fatal crash, heavy snow was already falling.
“It was probably hard to see, it was really, really going down,” Judy Thibeau said.
Dr. Noriko Oshiro-Rapley was a researcher and teacher at Massachusetts General Hospital. Boston 25 News reached a statement, which provided the following:
Noriko was an exceptional scientist whose work was driven by rigor, creativity, and a deep commitment to understanding human biology. More recently, her research has focused on gut biology, with the aim of advancing new therapeutic approaches to diseases such as inflammatory bowel disease and food allergy. She had a rare ability to make complex biological systems experimentally tractable, combining expertise in cell and molecular biology with innovative model systems. Through the creative use of intestinal organoids, her work has pushed the boundaries of cell and tissue modeling and uncovered previously unknown mechanisms linking genetics, intestinal physiology, autoimmunity and allergy. Her scientific rigor was matched only by her integrity, which was central to who she was.
Noriko’s impact on our community over many years. She began her career at MGH in 2008 as a research scientist in the Departments of Molecular Biology and Medicine. In 2019, she joined the Center for Computational and Integrative Biology (CCIB) under the leadership of Dr. Ramnik Xavier, where she continued to push the scientific boundaries with remarkable talent, curiosity and dedication. Beyond her many scientific contributions, Noriko was a kind and generous colleague—always ready to help others, lift spirits with a thoughtful word, or share a homemade dessert. She touched the lives of those around her in lasting and meaningful ways, and will be greatly missed.
There are no charges in the case.
The authorities did not identify the plow driver, they only said that he is 33 years old and that he is cooperating with the investigation.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.
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