It had such an impact on me that I got up, raced out of the building and literally jumped in front of the first taxi that went by.

went 是动词 go 的过去式，表示"去、移动"。 by 在这里是副词，表示"经过、路过"的意思。 went by 这个短语表示"经过、驶过"，用来描述车辆从旁边经过的动作。