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