Skyscraper developers assume liability for Jaguar melted by reflected sunlight
The skyscraper at 20 Fentchurch St., London.
Image from Shutterstock.
There was good news and bad news for a British businessman last week.
The bad news, as Martin Lindsay discovered when he returned to his Jaguar, legally parked on a London street: It had melted, apparently because of sunlight reflected and focused by a curved skyscraper under construction, the BBC News reports.
The good news: Lindsay wasn’t in the vehicle as portions of its body, a mirror and a Jaguar emblem buckled from the heat. Plus, the developer reportedly is assuming liability for the incident and left a note on the windshield asking the owner to get in touch.
“It could be dangerous. Imagine if the sun reflected on the wrong part of the body,” Lindsay said.
The developers of the building are looking into the situation. They hope to restrict parking in several spaces as the incident is investigated, to prevent damage to other vehicles, the Associated Press reports.
“The phenomenon is caused by the current elevation of the sun in the sky,” Land Securities and Canary Wharf explained in a written statement provided to the news agency. They said the heat is an issue for a couple of hours daily, but the problem should resolve itself within several weeks, apparently because of more limited sunlight as the season changes.
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