She called her friend, Lynne Meholik, and persuaded her to go along.

The two women were on the trail for about ten minutes when they heard the sound of motors approaching.

"They sounded like motorcycles," said Lynne. The women assumed the vehicles were on the road.

Jody, who was riding in front of Lynne, was going through a gate on the trail when two ATVs suddenly approached from a side trail to the horsewomen's right.

Startled by their sudden appearance and the noise, Jody's horse turned and then started to buck, throwing its rider onto the ground.

The two ATV drivers, who appeared to be young males, stopped briefly and looked at them and then took off.

As Jody lay on the ground, screaming with pain, Lynne got her own horse under control and immediately called 911 on her cell phone.

Other riders on the trail, including a member of the Connecticut Horse Council's Volunteer Mounted Horse Patrol, an organization of volunteers who assist the state Department of Environmental Protection with trail management, stopped to help. They placed a saddle behind Jody so she could be more comfortable.

Lynn's call summoned the Oxford Ambulance crew which transported Jody to Griffin Hospital.

The diagnosis? Jody's left arm was broken in two places, her vertebrae was damaged and she had several broken ribs.

Doctors at the hospital performed surgery, installing a rod in her upper arm and screws in her elbow.

For Jody, a 51-year-old divorcee, and mother of a 16-year-old, who works as an nanny in Westport, the accident was a life-changing moment.

Suddenly and temporarily incapacitated, she cannot drive and has no income. The job she held as a nanny had just recently been expanded from part-time to 53 hours a week because her employer, the mother of 18-month-old twins, had just delivered a new baby.

For a person who lived paycheck to paycheck, the increase in hours was going to catch her up financially.

Obviously, that can't happen now.

Jody cannot take care of a newborn child and two toddlers with a broken arm, broken ribs and a damaged back.

As most people in her predicament would do, she turned to her family for help. Her 81-year-old mother rushed to her side, but, having health problems herself, is limited in what she can do, Friends and neighbors have also rallied, but her situation remains dire.

She doesn't know when she can go back to work or if her job will still be available when she has mended.

"The doctors won't answer me on how long it will be," she said.

Recently she was able to obtain the services of a home health aide for a couple of days a week and she is grateful for that.

"The main thing I need help for is my self," she said. "I can't even put up my hair in a pony tail," she told Voices.

Jody wonders if the ATV drivers who caused her accident realize how it has impacted her life. She said she wished someone would come forward and identify them.

"These kids changed my life," she said.

Local police officer Louis DeNaro, who responded to the scene on the day of the accident, said police had not received any leads on who the ATV drivers might be.

According to the women's descriptions, one was driving an "orange-reddish" ATV and the other a dark green or black vehicle. They were wearing orange suits and helmets.

Anyone with information is asked to call the resident state troopers' office at 203-888-4353.

If the ATV drivers responsible for the accident are apprehended, they could face a number of charges. Possible charges include driving ATVs on private property without written permits from the owner of the property, failure to carry permits, speeding and driving ATVs on the State Bridle Trail.

The violations are infractions, which carry fines of between $75 and $93 each.

Police said they also intended to beef up patrols on the trail, using bicycles.

Occasionally the DEP has its officers suit up like ATV drivers and go out on the trail, Officer Denaro noted. The efforts occasionally yield arrests.

In the meantime, Jody could use some help with household chores, meals preparation, personal care, animal care, transportation to medical appointments and other chores.

Anyone willing to provide these services or help in other ways are asked to e-mail her at j.dobbins89@snet.net.