Learn English – Origin/reason for the “hit by a bus” phrase

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Often at my job when someone is becoming a single source of knowledge or otherwise has a skill that no one else on the team or the department has, a common expression is:

If John was hit by a bus, there would be no one that knows enough about what he does to take over.

I don't believe that this phrase is specific to my job as this also seems to be a common phrase in articles I have read online, for example:

http://37signals.com/svn/posts/3023-why-programs-become-territorial

My question, what is the origin of this phrase and is there any reason that it is phrased like "hit by a bus" instead of "in a plane crash" or something else entirely?

Best Answer

People will use "heart attack", "plane crash", "fall off a cliff" as ways to describe that death might happen instantly, and the people left behind better be prepared in case that day happens.

This article talks about it: The Explainer Gets Hit by a Bus

Probably in the mid-20th century. The earliest instance the Explainer could find of a bus accident as a generic rather than literal example of misfortune is from Joseph Conrad's 1907 novel, The Secret Agent: "But just try to understand that it was a pure accident; as much an accident as if he had been run over by a 'bus while crossing the street."

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