NORWOOD, Mass. — On Monday, MBTA Transit police were still in the Norwood Central Commuter rail lot, one day after a horrific snowplow accident killed a 51-year-old Norwood woman, just as a powerful weekend snowstorm struck Massachusetts.
On Lenox Street, a man who only wanted to be identified as Mike told Boston 25 News reporter Bob Ward that he saw police lights across the street and only realized later what happened.
“I’m just shocked this happened right here in my front yard, literally,” he said.
MBTA Transit Police have 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 struck while the couple was 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 he did not want to be interviewed.
“Thoughts and prayers to the husband. I can’t imagine having to go through that. Heartbreaking,” John Reetz of Norwood said.
Transit police say the couple was struck at about 2 p.m. Sunday afternoon, when the snowplow driver, an independent contractor operating a Ford 350 truck, backed into them while trying to clear the parking lot.
Authorities say the driver stayed on scene and was cooperating with detectives.
Neighbors told Ward that at the time of the fatal crash, heavy snow was already falling.
“It probably was hard to see, it really was, it was coming down a lot,” Judy Thibeau said.
Noriko Rapley was a researcher at Massachusetts General Hospital. Boston 25 News reached out for a statement, which provided the following:
<i>Noriko was an exceptional scientist whose work was driven by rigor, creativity, and a deep commitment to understanding human biology. Most recently, her research focused on the biology of the intestine, with the goal of advancing new therapeutic approaches for diseases such as inflammatory bowel disease and food allergy. She had a rare ability to make complex biological systems experimentally tractable, combining deep expertise in cell and molecular biology with innovative model systems. Through the creative use of intestinal organoids, her work pushed the frontiers 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.</i>
<i>Noriko’s impact on our community spanned 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 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 she will be deeply missed.</i>
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There are no charges in the case.
Authorities have not identified the snowplow driver, only saying 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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