On 8 January 1937, Staines was killed in a motor vehicle accident near Goulburn, New South Wales, and was survived by his wife, two daughters, and a son. At the time of Staines death Frank Forde, Deputy Leader of the Federal Parliamentary Australian Labor Party and future Prime Minister of Australia, said of him: "although opposed to me politically, I learnt to respect him for his manly qualities and for his inherent sense of fair play. He did not at any time descend to personalities, nor did he take an unfair advantage of a political opponent. He gave able service in local authority affairs in Central Queensland for a number of years. His ability and enthusiasm merited further promotion in public life; and he would have been in the State Parliament as member for Fitzroy if he had accepted the invitation of his party to run for the seat in 1930."