Based on the testimony of Charles Jones ("employee") and the medical records and reports admitted, I find as follows:
At the time of the hearing, the employee was 40 years old and had worked for SEMO Electric Cooperative ("employer") out of Sikeston, Missouri, since the time he had been hired in October 2004. Other than working in the State of Mississippi for the employer after Hurricane Katrina, the employee had performed all of his prior work for the employer in Missouri except for a small amount of work on lines at the tip of Kentucky. Although he left school in the ninth grade, the employee eventually obtained his GED. His only other education involved a three day course in working on office equipment. Following his departure from school, the employee worked as a hod carrier until the age 15. After he did odd jobs for a couple of years, the employee entered the military at age 17. While in the Navy from October of 1986 to May of 1988, the employee was trained on firefighting. Once he left the military, he performed a number
of different jobs in construction and in factories. His next employment involved heavy manual labor while working with office equipment, which he performed for about five years. In 1997, the employee began his career in the electrical field for Midwest Power Lines. In the beginning, the employee simply ran a shovel. He was later able to work himself up to being a lineman and eventually a working foreman. During the time he worked for the employer and up to the time of his accident on September 12, 2005, the employee worked as a lineman on both underground and overhead electrical lines.
Prior to his work accident of September 12, 2005, the employee had received medical treatment for his right wrist, low back, and right knee (Employee Exhibit A, Deposition Exhibit 2). During the seventh grade, the employee fell and fractured his wrist which was placed in a cast for six weeks. Although he had previously noted occasional stiffness with cold and rainy weather, the employee testified at the hearing that he really was not having any problems with his wrist. In 1989, the employee fell off of the top of a machine. Although he had a mild bulge or herniation, the employee treated conservatively with just physical therapy. His main current complaint with his back is soreness and tenderness during cold weather. In April 2004, the employee injured his right knee. Dr. Patrick Knight performed a partial medial menisectomy, partial lateral menisectomy, limited synovectomy, and right knee arthroscopy on June 7, 2004 (Employee Exhibit L, Pages 2-4 \& 8-9). The employee continued to perform his job for the employer but did have aching in his knee during cold weather.
On September 12, 2005, the employee was working for the employer in Mississippi following Hurricane Katrina. The employee's primary job in Mississippi was to restore power to houses. While attempting to hook the power line back to the house, the employee picked up the cut wire and it went through his glove and into the side of his left index finger. After he cleaned his finger, the employee returned to working. At the end of the day, the employee reported the incident to his supervisor, Marty Vineyard. On the next day, the employee was unable to bend his finger, and it was very swollen. A coworker took the employee to a medical tent in a parking lot for treatment. A doctor performed surgery by placing a drain into his finger to relieve the swelling. The employee stayed in Mississippi for a few more days and then rode back to Missouri with the other workers. Upon his return to Missouri the employee was referred to a hand specialist, Dr. Thomas Tobin.
Dr. Tobin first saw the employee on September 20, 2005 and performed an exploration of the left hand wound and irrigation and drainage of the left index finger flexor tendon sheath on the very next day (Employee Exhibit D, P